An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything Hardcover – Illustrated, October 29, 2013

In An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, former CSA astronaut Chris Hadfield shares a variety of tales from his extensive career both on and off the planet, as well as the personal philosophy that helped him through it all.Hadfield is the kind of individual that you want as role model your children. His work ethic is exemplary, and he emphasizes the critical nature of ongoing personal education and development as key to his success. Don't determine your self worth based on where you end up, he says, but on the effort you will put in to get there. If something is worth doing, it is worth committing to and doing well, regardless of the payoff. Perhaps not revolutionary ideas in and of themselves, but backed by the life story of someone who has embraced these principles and embodied them. Hadfield's career is a feel good story for anyone who believes in the power of hard work and education.While An Astronaut's Guide spends a lot of time on the author's attitudes and ethics, it's by no means a self help book. The text is also a candid biography, giving great insight into the years of development that went into building the career of a star (no pun intended) astronaut. Hadfield reminisces on his youth, his time as a military test pilot, and his many additional years training at NASA before ever reaching space. We learn how the intense commitment involved can affect personal relationships and family dynamics. It becomes clear that today's select few astronauts represent, in many ways, the pinnacle of humanity: it's a lifestyle that demands levels of intelligence, dedication, and both physical and mental training that very few of us could hope to successfully achieve.Chris Hadfield first reached fame several years ago through a series of educational and entertaining social media postings made from the ISS. We learn that these were motivated by his love of the space program, and, with the help of his son back on Earth, he wanted to do his part to boost public awareness and interest. The videos became a hit and internet stardom followed. I'm the kind of person who finds any story about life beyond Earth hard to pass up, simply for the curiosity and wonder they evoke. From the vastness of the cosmos to the minutia of how to brush your teeth successfully in zero gravity, it's all fascinating stuff, and Hadfield, who flew on three separate occasions, brings these anecdotes in spades. The same attitude that lead him to educational social media carries through in his writing, and we're gifted with numerous stories that run the gamut from the profound and enlightening to the humorous. The author is consistently candid about the astronaut experience, and these sections proved particularly hard to put down.All in all, it's difficult not to recommend this book. If you're already a fan of space travel, or the space program, you will receive a bevy of stories and insights from a man who spent decades at NASA and commanded the ISS. And if you aren't a space enthusiast yet, you might just be one by the end. But even without all of the fantastic anecdotes, Chris Hadfield is still an eminently likable and admirable personality with a lot of unique life experience to share. Worth reading whether you're an aspiring astronaut, or just aspiring to become a more enlightened human being.

Colonel Chris Hadfield (who made that “Space Oddity” video while aboard the ISS) talks about his path to becoming an astronaut due to the right combination of talent, diligence, patience, goal-oriented decision making, personal philosophy – and, of course, luck. Hadfield also talks about his life as an astronaut – and how much of an astronaut’s time is spent on earth-bound work and study; being in space is only a small (but certainly rewarding) part on an astronaut’s career.As Hadfield wrote a serious and informative book, the book avoids any exaggerated tone of excitement and has few humorous observations or anecdotes. As implied by the book’s title, the book is partly description & explanation and partly philosophy. So it’s a good book and an easy read (but not a fast read).

Before I give a review I have to give a bit of a background. I had been working for the same company for five years going no where. Mapping floodplains and helping supervise a call center...basically I wasn't anywhere close to where I wanted to be in my life. Approaching 28 and in a serious relationship, I was focused on the future. I had never tried to do anything too difficult since I never thought I would succeed.I forget the specifics as to how I learned about Chris Hadfield but I found him truly inspiring. As you'll learn in his book, his improbable journey from a dreaming child (before Canada had a space program) to an astronaut helped change the course of my life. Learning about his story helped me reflect on my own life and attitude. I quit work the same month he returned from space and went back to school for Computer Engineering. This major causes me to face a lot of my fears in math, physics, and programming. I have wanted to learn all of these things but never thought I would succeed. I am still terrified...but it's different now. It's really all thanks to Chris Hadfield being willing to share his life and his family supporting him through his career (and Evan Hadfield for encouraging the use of social media).An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth is the first book I have ever pre-ordered. I was so excited from the purchase that I had to 'tweet' Mr. Hadfield. I was star struck when he responded. It took me three days to finish the book. Next, my fiance and I were extremely lucky to meet him at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in DC. I just expected him to sign the book and move on to the next one. The line was long and he had been on the road for a while. However, he took the time to ask a few questions of everyone, shake their hand, and even take a picture with them.Now finally to the book. It was great. An easy read for sure but I welcomed it. The honesty and openness was refreshing. I enjoyed his new perspectives on attitude, approaching difficult tasks, pursuing goals, and more. There are a lot of great lessons to read in the chapters of this book and they are delivered by someone with a lot of humility. The best part is just getting to know him better as a person and the fascinating life he has led. I should note that I may be biased since I am Canadian.

I highly recommend to read this book, very informative and interesting