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: A Misguided Thought By Jaelyn D Jordan

   I picked up an audio copy of this volume of poetry as I was driving to a high pressured job interview and I wanted something... a little different.  (Spoiler alert- I decided 2 hours into the all day process that I did not really want that job- but I had to continue to met people for the last 6 hours.) 

Another Spoiler alert- I did not really LOVE this book, but I had to say perhaps my interview clouded my judgement of the entire reading experience. 

As it turns out July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, So this was a good read for that. 

   This is a collection of poetry showing the life experiences of a young  person living a sheltered life while struggling with mental disorders.  Jordan is a black author, and while I didn't entirely love this book - I do see it's value as part of a collection.

  As I listened to the poetry- I was struck by memories of how it felt to be a young person experiencing rejection, attraction, frustration and successes as they navigate that liminal point between childhood and adulthood. It's a time which a lot of adults tend to forget about, or actively disrespect the often very strong emotions felt at that time. So, for that, I felt like this was a really open exploration of this time, mental health, and life experiences in general!

 

  For me overall, however, this felt a little bit unfinished or unpolished.  It wasn't unpolished in a gritty sort of natural way, but more in a way that I felt with a little more work on the language a lot of the work would have carried more power and weight.  Instead, I mostly felt I was reading the secret diary of a teen going through some things. 

So 5 stars for the Message!

2.5 stars for the execution.

I would definitely , however, read more from this author! 

STATS

First Published : December 2023

Pages: 88

Available as an Audio Book :YES

Trigger Warnings: Depression, suicide, mental health issues, - as always this is likely not a complete list, so please 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 : Ocean Theme Edition: At Sea by Emma Fedor 2.5/5 Stars

Although it might seem I'd abandoned my water theme, it is indeed alive and well.  I admit, I've been of course, pivoting to some paranormal and space based reading but, I've still got several watery books on the list. 

This week I finished At Sea, by Emma Fedor.  

   I have a lot of mixed feelings after the conclusion.  A lot of mixed feelings. So Many - most of them, less positive.  The book did get a flurry of positive blurbs, so... maybe, it's me. 

     No spoilers here  but in summary, Cara ( very dull, flat character)  meets a man who sweeps her off her feet, she eventually becomes pregnant and is looking forward to a life where she's able to pursue her interests, raise a child and spend time with a man who- though complicated- she loves. This is all shattered when the man and child disappear, only to return several years later.  The synopsis just promises, drama and excitement.  The story... gave less. 

This book has everything I usually love!

- Secret super powers!

- an ongoing romantic connection

- the ocean

- fantastical occurrences. 

-dual timeline

What I got was a story that could have been magical realism, (Is the man a Whale hybrid, a super secret military weapon?)  or could have been the story of a domestic nightmare - a mentally ill father endangering his child and others. 

I feel like there was a real failure to commit. The author creates a Magical realism situation which sort of transcends into a Mental Health discussion  but never is either one fully engaged with....

--   If the book was supposed to be about family and relationships with persons with mental health issues- leaving the question about Brendan's "super powers" with no solid answer makes it hard to know., thus making it hard to engage with the work because if it is magical realism I have a certain reaction, if it's discussion on serious mental illness, than it clearly is another.  Either is valid, but leaving it sort of out there for the reader to decide, gives the author a means to shrug off any criticism, if someone doesn't think the magic was that magic- well, it was meant to represent mental health there.  If the mental health representation is not appreciated- well, that was magical realism. BUT, in actuality, the failure to commit, leaves this reader, just thinking well.. ok. that's nice. 

---Leaving her 5 yr old child to dive among the waves - with no conclusion to the activity that most clearly terrified Cara is again, a failure to commit. Did this child breathe under water? Did he drown? Did he just come back smiling?  Again we won't know. It seems sort of a peaceful conclusion and I'm free to decide if the boy disappears, drowns or comes on back, but frankly... with the flatness of all the characters- I kind of didn't care that much. I didn't go looking for a book two. 

       I think this book would make a nice beach read or "airport book" (one you read in the airport and leave behind.)  It didn't inspire me to think deeper about the way our world works, mental health, or even whales. For me it was entirely average and I can think of so many books that better address mental health issues or create more believable magic. 

 Now, there wasn't anything particularly... offensive about the book, so I think I'm going with 2.5/5 stars- it's average. Personally I'd give it a miss and go for something with more meat. 

For Magical Realism in the Ocean, I'd recommend Sylvie Cathrall's  A Letter to the Luminous deep 

Or if looking for a scandalous, family drama, Jacquelyn Mitchard's A Very Inconvenient Scandal  also features Cape Cod and some serious (though different) family situations. 

 

Have you read this book?  Did I somehow miss something entirely? Thoughts? Feel free to share this post and  let me know in the comments! 

STATS

First Published 2023

Pages: 320

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings:  death of parent flashback, mental illness, violence, family turmoil  

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)