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A review by greatlibraryofalexandra
Packing for Mars by Mary Roach
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
I find space horrifying in sense that is bone-deep and chilling, but I am never going to stop reading about the people who go there.
This book was a barrel full of fun and it was also f*cking gross. A riot and a popular research marvel. Though at time I liked the information and not quite how it was delivered tone-wise (I could have done with less of Mary Roach being cutesy and faux-ditzy), overall I had a blast (no pun intended) reading this.
Chapter transitions flowed naturally and maintained interest, and the work as a whole does a spectacular job of detailing the innovations that not only led to space exploration, but had to be unexpectedly undertaken just to make it possible. It does this in terms easily accessible for laypersons, and so many of the facts had me laughing out loud, squirming, even trying not to gag - the mind just boggles with everything it takes not only to go to space, but to dream about traveling there.
From food to the body to the brain, there's so much that goes into this - and it's undignified and majestic at the same time. Space is one of the things about this world that I find most viscerally terrifying; I stand in awe of the people who have (to use the old phrase, even though I hated the book) 'the right stuff' to boldly go where humans have yet to tread. They scare me and they delight me.
I wish there had been more to the chapter on on "Is Mars Worth it?', and aside from my annoyance with the narrative style at times, the overall vibe of this was so appealing that it gets 5 full stars.
And this is the best takeaway:
"One of the things I love about manned space exploration is that it forces people to unlace certain notions of what is and isn't acceptable. And possible. It's amazing what sometimes gets accomplished via an initially jarring but ultimately harmless shift in thinking." (p. 314 - pie page!).
Also - coming away from this knowing I'd read thousands of pages of Apollo mission transcripts. I'd read them until my eyes bleed.
This book was a barrel full of fun and it was also f*cking gross. A riot and a popular research marvel. Though at time I liked the information and not quite how it was delivered tone-wise (I could have done with less of Mary Roach being cutesy and faux-ditzy), overall I had a blast (no pun intended) reading this.
Chapter transitions flowed naturally and maintained interest, and the work as a whole does a spectacular job of detailing the innovations that not only led to space exploration, but had to be unexpectedly undertaken just to make it possible. It does this in terms easily accessible for laypersons, and so many of the facts had me laughing out loud, squirming, even trying not to gag - the mind just boggles with everything it takes not only to go to space, but to dream about traveling there.
From food to the body to the brain, there's so much that goes into this - and it's undignified and majestic at the same time. Space is one of the things about this world that I find most viscerally terrifying; I stand in awe of the people who have (to use the old phrase, even though I hated the book) 'the right stuff' to boldly go where humans have yet to tread. They scare me and they delight me.
I wish there had been more to the chapter on on "Is Mars Worth it?', and aside from my annoyance with the narrative style at times, the overall vibe of this was so appealing that it gets 5 full stars.
And this is the best takeaway:
"One of the things I love about manned space exploration is that it forces people to unlace certain notions of what is and isn't acceptable. And possible. It's amazing what sometimes gets accomplished via an initially jarring but ultimately harmless shift in thinking." (p. 314 - pie page!).
Also - coming away from this knowing I'd read thousands of pages of Apollo mission transcripts. I'd read them until my eyes bleed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Minor: Sexism