No Dream Is Too High

When you've walked on the moon, you certainly should be able to draw lessons from the unique perspective that experience gives you, and that's what former astronaut Buzz Aldrin provides in this audiobook. Most of the lessons he mentions are obvious: Do your best, work hard, keep your eye on your goals, and look for opportunities to shine. However, Aldrin is also able to draw from his extraordinary experience to give meaning and context to his words. Narrator Traber Burns's voice has a nasal tinge and a broad, round timbre. With his clipped intonation and insistent tone, he means to be rousing, but it comes off somewhat harsher. Nonetheless, he makes sure that we think about every one of Aldrin's nuggets of wisdom. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

January 11, 2016
Famed astronaut Aldrin (coauthor, with Leonard David, of Mission to Mars) combines leadership lessons with behind-the-scenes stories from his Apollo 11 moonwalk (including the speech President Nixon prepared should the mission have been unsuccessful) in this engaging cross between biography and self-help. Aldrin clearly lays out his principles and mottoes, such as “second comes right after first” (which he has used to get over being known as the second man on the moon) and “maintain your spirit of adventure” (now in his 80s, Aldrin still scuba dives, and he recently caught a ride on the back of a whale shark in the Galapagos Islands). Next, he offers concrete strategies for living up to each principle, candidly admitting where he’s made missteps. His advice is universal: “If you are afraid to fail, you will probably not accomplish much in life,” and everyone, whether a student or a seasoned CEO, will find something to take away from this inspiring work.