Moonbound

Starred review from July 1, 2019
Alternating chapters informatively and elegantly trace a chronicle of humans reaching the moon. We start in situ on July 20, 1969, with the first moon landing, then take a small step and giant leap back to the theoretical origin of the moon and its earliest relationship to human culture and Earth, as a symbol for time-keeping and calendar creation, and its effect on the rise and fall of the tides. Moon-landing chapters are short and focused, shedding light on less overt but no less heroic moments and decisions. Historical chapters are lengthier examinations of the scientific thinking that deepened our understanding of the moon and how to reach it. Both threads spend time on the people involved, from astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins to thinkers, such as early theoretician Johannes Kepler, Nazi scientist Wernher Von Braun, Stalin-era Soviet scientist Sergei Korolev, USAF test pilot Deke Slayton, originator of the Woman in Space program, and proto-software engineer Margaret Hamilton. As with a trip to the moon, the role of artistry is less obvious but no less crucial. An alternating palette evokes time periods, and visualizations encapsulate huge swaths of political and technical information and suggest emotions and motivations central to our evolving understanding. For all this book's procedural accuracy, it doesn't jettison moments of true awe.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)