In Chasing Space: An Astronaut’s Story of Grit, Grace, and Second Chances, Leland Melvin describes his life experiences from growing up in Virginia, through high school and college football, studying science, and finally his career with NASA, which included two Shuttle flights to the International Space Station. Throughout his account, Melvin describes how he overcame obstacles through hard work and perseverance, in particular the power of visualizing success in advance. When he made mistakes on the gridiron or in college or even suffered a loss of hearing during astronaut training, Melvin overcame these setbacks by continuing to dedicate himself to his work. Further, he believes in the importance of inspiring children to pursue their dreams and to encourage their creativity, both in the arts and sciences, in order that they can become the thinkers and dreamers who will shape the next big developments in the coming decades. Melvin’s book is honest and touching, with his generosity of spirit and sense of hope shining through on every page. A must-read for those seeking some inspiration. ( )

Leland Melvin has led a pretty amazing life. After a short stint in the NFL, he worked as an engineer for NASA, then as an astronaut. During his training, an accident that badly damaged his hearing threatened to ground him permanently, but eventually he recovered and went on to make two flights on the space shuttle. After that, he became NASA's Associate Administrator for Education, and spent a lot of time working to provide opportunities and encouragement for disadvantaged and minority kids to pursue success in STEM.

All that having been said, I do have to be honest here and say that this isn't exactly the most gripping astronaut memoir I've ever read. Some of that is no doubt due to the fact that he spends comparatively few pages talking about actually being in space. Some of it probably has more to do with me than with the author, though. Unlike Melvin, who perfectly straddles the classic jock/nerd divide, I am apparently incapable of being interested in football even when there is a connection to the space program. Also, Melvin's reflections on the reasons for his success and his attempts to inspire others center very firmly on two things: "grit and determination," and the power of his Christian faith. As an atheist, myself, that second thing can't help but fall a little flat for me.

But there is certainly no doubt that the grit and determination have served him well. How many people could possibly ever say things like, "Oh, my NFL career didn't last? No problem! Fortunately, while training to play professional football, I also somehow found time to get a graduate degree in engineering, so I guess I'll just go work for NASA instead!" Not that he puts it that way, I hasten to add. He's much more modest than that. Plus, he actually didn't even think about working for NASA until a recruiter approached him about it at a job fair. But, still. Leland Melvin is definitely the kind of person who makes you wonder what the heck you've been doing with your own life.

Also, gripping or not, this memoir provides a perspective none of the other astronaut memoirs I've read so far have. Because they've all been written by white guys, none of whom have had anything like the experiences Melvin had growing up in Virginia as an African American, attending a school that had only recently been racially integrated, dealing with everyday racism, and not exactly having the opportunity to see many people who looked like him going into space. All of which gives him a very keen appreciation of those before him who broke racial barriers to make important contributions the the space program, as well as of the importance of enabling the next generation of kids to go further. ( )

Easily the most boring book I’ve ever read in my entire life. It took me nearly 4 months to force myself to finish. I never would have thought that an astronaut could be so boring. ( )

I, like many other people, didn't know anything about Leland Melvin until I saw the famous official NASA portrait of him with his two dogs. From then, I was lucky to learn a little more about him to know that I really admired his story and his work ethic. Reading this biography sealed it for me - Melvin is one of my favorite people. His story, written in his voice, takes you through how truly remarkable his journey to space was. Definitely recommended - at only 230-odd pages, it's an uplifting, quick read. ( )

Melvin's distinguished accomplishments are numerous, very significant, inspiring, and well worth learning about. While his intellect, personal and physical strengths, dedication, academic/professional career accomplishments, and tireless community involvement are truly outstanding, his actual writing is a little mechanical (very understandable given that he is an engineer/scientist). I sincerely enjoyed reading about this fine astronaut and enthusiastically recommend "Chasing Space" for the valuable information it contains but, should Leland Melvin ever pursue the opportunity to publish another book about his incredible life, I'd recommend he hire a biographer who is as accomplished as he is to really launch it to the heights his achievements warrant. ( )