An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me about Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything Paperback – 14 April 2015

Many people will no doubt have heard of Chris Hadfield, pilot, astronaut and musician - his rendition of Space Oddity from the International Space Station has received over 21 million hits on YouTube. And just to prove how multi-talented he now is, he's added author to that list. And like everything Chris has done, he's not just done it well, but exceptionally well. The book isn't a traditional autobiography as such, and neither is it - as some have suggested - a self-help book. Instead it is one man's account of how he became an astronaut, who and what inspired him, and what he has learnt from the process. Various mantras are repeated throughout the book, such as `sweat the small stuff', `OK, what's going to kill me next' and many others, however he never beats you over the head with any of them and neither does he tell you constantly, `hey, look at me, aren't I wonderful' as some who have achieved so much, do. Instead, he comes across as a quiet, but highly driven individual, more than capable of admitting his own shortcomings, yet proud of his achievements. At no point during the book did I get bored. Everything from aspects his personal life to getting stuck in the hatch of the space station as he was about to go on a space-walk, feel humble and human, yet warm and affable. Words like `inspirational' and `heroic' are bandied around far too often, yet here they fit perfectly. A superb book and possibly the best non-fiction book I have ever read. An amazing man and an amazing read. Buy it, you won't be disappointed.

I like reading books on space flight and after hearing a short piece read on Radio 4's Book of the Week I had to give it a go. I ordered it as soon as I got home from work and it arrived the following morning.Well, two days later I've finished it because I couldn't put the thing down. Being an earthling with a fascination for rockets and the space staion with no chance whatsoever of going there myself I really liked the small details in this book. The small details add up to give you the bigger picture and now I even know what the ISS smells like!As well as being a great book if you like space travel there are also some good lessons regarding life. Certain parts reminded me slightly of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainance, although Zen is obviously far more detailed in philosophy and this far more detailed in space flight. But the Zen notion of being at your best when your stuck and looking at set backs in a positive way seems to be behind the thinking here as well. Lots of small sucesses in life are far better than one big one.If you are into space books with some philosophy mixed in you will like this book. Go buy it now and smell the space station.

Commander Chris Hadfield is one of the humblest, most incisive men I have ever seen or heard. I am among the many people who became aware of him through his Social Media interactions during his five months aboard the International Space Station, and couldn't resist buying the Kindle version of this book as soon as it came out.It is diffiult to classify this as an autobiography - even though it charts Chris' path to becoming an Astronaut. He cleverly uses each of the significant points in this journey to relate the lessons he learned to ways he changed his life in the future, or alternatively how a decision he made at a particular point was driven by past experience. The end result is a combination between an autobiography and a life coaching manual.But don't think for a minute that he is trying to tell you how to live your life. Instead, the feeling you are left with after finishing to book is instead an insight into how to look at the bigger picture - take account of what might (but has not yet) happened, and learn more effectively from what occurs around you as well as directly to you.He does this in a way which is at no point preaching nor directive. And all the time you are taking in an extraordinary journey from Pilot to Astronaut, as well as gaining a unique and at times humbling insight into what it is like to spend extended periods in space.All in all a thoroughly enjoyable read, and one I would recommend.

This book is a very enjoyable read and gives a decent insight of certain key life aspects and challenges an astronaut encounters during his life. It touches on the challenges and hard decisions a person encounters before he becomes a fully qualified astronaut, but also the responsibility and qualities needed once you are up there in space. Obviously, it does not cover every single aspect and detail of an astronaut's life or the process of becoming one, however, it is a good starting ground.The book is about the romanticized reflections of a person who has been an astronaut for many years and has spent a decent amount of time in space, along with some doses of truth with regards to responsibility and sacrifices that need to be made along the way to get there. Therefore, do not expect to read about technical descriptions and engineering insight and specification about spacecrafts.If you are a young person who is interested in space, who is interested in a career in aerospace industry and want to get a basic insight, this is a good starting point to see whether the descriptions and stories of Chris Hadfield inspire any interest within you.