Book Review: The Ordinary Spaceman by Clayton Anderson

The Ordinary Spaceman: From Boyhood Dreams to Astronaut
by Clayton Anderson [Biography Anderson]

Clayton Anderson is Nebraska’s contribution to the astronaut corps. He famously applied to the astronaut program 15 times before finally being accepted. I met him when he was on book tour in Lincoln while promoting this book. I enjoyed his talk, and found him personable and humorous.

His book is so interesting as he relates a lot of behind-the-scenes stories not usually shared in other astronaut memoirs. He writes about the process for acceptance into the space program, the training involved, and the politics and stress with so many high achievers. He was required to learn Russian for one of his missions and spent many months in Russia training and discusses how difficult his absence was on both he and his family. We re-live the sorrow of the Challenger tragedy when he writes about his role as one of the family escorts.

An enjoyable book full of laughter, grief, and astronaut stories, this is a quick, engrossing read even at 400 pages.

[ publisher’s official Ordinary Spaceman web site ] | [ official Clayton Anderson Twitter feed ] | [ Clayton Anderson’s NASA biography page ]

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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