Book Review: Sex on The Moon by Ben Mezrich

 If you've been looking for Non-fiction that reads like fiction, this 2011 Beat the Backlist book is one you will want to read! 

 While normally I might say the title of the most audacious heist in history is overblown, in this case, I think it meets the criteria! Not so much that it was pulled off in any sophisticated manner, but that someone would decide that was the "thing to do" at all. 

   Readers are given an inside story of Thad Roberts, a one time fellow in a prestigious NASA program in Texas. While at NASA Thad, made a name for himself by being audacious, bold and curious. It didn't hurt that he was - by all accounts- very bright and conventionally attractive. 

Thad started out with an idea involving "decommissioned" moon rocks- those used for education, rather than hard scientific uses.  He and a friend dreamt of selling some of these "trash" moon rocks, and came up with a brave but not very sophisticated plan.  He was sure he'd never go through with it, but the more he dreamed and schemed, the deeper he got, until he found himself meeting a supposed buyer and being arrested by the FBI. 

   I enjoyed this book, but I will say, no matter how hard the author tried to make Thad likeable, I found him to be a complete Jack-Hole. This man had so many advantages in life, and decided to just be pushing the envelope in ways that didn't even make sense.  I suspect there is some sort of mental health issues at play in these decisions, but honestly, I feel like his time in prison was actually too short. This was a man with multiple opportunities ahead of him, and decided this was the most appropriate way to move through the world.  So not a fan. Not impressed, and deeply disturbed that he's now out in the world giving... TED talks. 

The writing is OK. I had the audiobook and for being only 320 pages, it did seem to drag on. So... 

revising my first statement, this is a book you MAY want to read. I have become obsessed with Axel Emmermann, a rock enthusiast who tipped off the FBI and assisted in multiple ways. So there is that.  This is a most interesting book and while I can't say I liked the main character, I did find the entire thing interesting.  So 3 stars out of 5 from me. 

STATS

First Published :  7/12/2011

Pages: 320

Available as an Audio Book :  YES (~8 hrs) 

Trigger Warnings: Heist, discussion of heights, drug and alcohol use, thievery, mild sexual behavior (this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review Black Water, by David Robertson 3.5/5 Stars

   Continuing with my 2025 theme of Water- I read Black Water- Family, legacy and Blood memory  by David A Robertson.  

This was not a light recollection of the childhood of a Cree man in Canada. It was an award winner and best seller but I did find it a bit difficult to get through, likely a me problem, more than an author problem. 

  I was fascinated by the story to start with. David is the son of a Cree father and a white mother. For unknown reasons, the Cree side of his heritage was never discussed, so much so that when questioned about his ethnicity- he entirely denied being "indian"  and had no real feeling that he was Indigenous, despite having apparently a typical Cree appearance which was noticed (and commented one) by folks around him.  

       Robertson tells essentially a dual memoir, one of his father, a man who grew up on a reservation, and became a pastor and academic leader in Indigenous education, and one of himself, a man who grew up with a largely absent father  and no awareness of his own roots. 

   Robertson does not flinch away from the many truths about his life, and the lives of Indigenous people in Canada. He's able to pull in so much material and relate it to his life, but also the outer world around us. While he mourns not growing up more aware of his Cree heritage, he understands that growing up with more knowledge doesn't mean that his life would have been "easier"  or "better", just different.  Although in the writing, I can see that he does clearly believe that not knowing did cause some unspoken trauma, which may have lead to some mental health concerns. 

   Robertson is given a new chance to really get to know his Dad, when he re-enters their lives more fully, and he takes full advantage of this, as he and his Dad visit Dad's old home, and David records hours of memories, from not only his Dad but other relatives and friends, and becomes familiar with the people and the land his Dad grew up on - David anchors himself a bit to the land, and it's fascinating to read as things come full circle, David has his own family and chooses a very different path for his children who are growing up fully aware of their heritage. 

    I wasn't swept away by this book. I don't believe that was the point of the book, I feel the author wanted to raise awareness and generate discussion. I definitely might put this one forward as a Book Club book!   For me - I felt like the author didn't entirely commit and sort of danced around a few topics - which I felt perhaps he hadn't completely resolved for himself, but of course, he's still living, and aren't we all experiencing, adjusting and changing our minds as we continue on our life journey.  At the same time that I wasn't swept away,  I recognized it as an important piece of writing, that offers thoughts on belonging, identity, generational trauma, family, racism, internalized racism, and more.  I also recognized that the work done on this book, the research etc, likely informed Robertson's The Theory of Crows published 2 years later. 

I did read this via Audiobook  and it is narrator by the author. I will say the author has a bit of a reedy quality to his voice, and POSSIBLY I might have enjoyed this more with different voice, but when a book is narrated by the author, you know you're getting the whole she-bang so to speak, so, maybe if I were doing it again, I'd read the book in print. 

STATS

First Published 2020

Pages: 288

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings:  Racism, Mental health discussion, 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala 4.5/5 Stars

 

 Wow!  this was such a surprise!  The fact that I was surprised, was really all my own issue. I was happily adding all sorts of water/ocean/lake/river and pond books to my list and the Librarian suggested this short memoir, Wave.  I started it entirely blind, and was not entirely prepared for the depth and sorrow communicated within. We often think of water in terms of warm baths, sun-kissed beach days, or a storm, viewed from indoors with a cozy cup of tea, but Wave reminds us that water can be wild, dangerous and changemaking. 

Lest anyone feel they might want to jump in unawares, I'll note that this is a beautiful memoir told by a woman who - with almost no warning- lost much of her family to the historic tsunami in Sri Lanka in 2004. This is a story of grief, loss of parents, children and partners. It is, however, also a story of recovery and new beginnings. 

Deraniyagala tells her story of loss, grief and recovery with a direct and unapologetic prose that is so welcome, as it is a difficult story to absorb, without any added literary "flair" 

   She highlights the capriciousness of both nature and life, and gives the reader a clear view of the many pieces of grief- the good (where she is able to connect with old friends and memories), the bad (when she decides to haunt the renters of a former home)  and the healing (moving on to a new environment and taking her memories with her, rather than escaping them).

   This is a worthy read as we have all experienced loss and grief. Deraniyagala- an Economist by trade- allows us in to experience a "worst things imagined" real life situation, and in a way, she shows us all that there is a way out and forward, even if it isn't straightforward, or clear.  I didn't feel a "Happy ever ending"- but I did have a sense of satisfaction and peace at the conclusion. 

    

STATS:

First Published: 2013

Pages: 256

Available as an Audiobook: YES

Trigger warnings: Child loss, Partner loss, Parent loss, alcohol use, depression , natural disaster

 Have you read this book? Do you have another similar book you'd recommend? Let me know in the comments!