Summary
Summary
Divided by continent, You Are Here represents one (idealized) orbit of the ISS. This planetary photo tour -- surprising, playful, thought-provoking, and visually delightful -- is also punctuated with fun, fascinating commentary on life in zero gravity. In the spirit of his bestselling An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, You Are Here opens a singular window on our planet, using remarkable photographs to illuminate the history and consequences of human settlement, the magnificence (and wit) of never-before-noticed landscapes, and the power of the natural forces shaping our world and the future of our species.
Author Notes
Chris Hadfield was the top graduate of the U.S. Air Force test pilot school in 1988 and U.S. Navy test pilot of the year in 1991. He was selected to be an astronaut in 1992. In May 2013, he returned to Earth after serving as Commander of the International Space Station for the third time.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (1)
Library Journal Review
Engineer and former Canadian Air Force pilot Hadfield first flew in space in 1995 and in 2013 became commander of the International Space Station. During his tenure, the author's Twitter feed, which expressed his wonder at views of Earth and allowed followers to discover amazing images of our planet, gained in excess of one million followers. This title collects Hadfield's favorite images-around 30 each for Africa, Europe, Asia, Oceania, North America, and South American-all annotated with informative and exciting comments, many of which only someone who's had an extra-terrestrial experience can provide. A frequent theme is pareidolia, which the author explains is "the phenomenon of perceiving faces and figures in clouds, landforms and man-made objects"; Hadfield also notes when Earth's surface resembles familiar objects or materials, for example, elephant skin. Most of the book, however, needs no such commentary, with the author creating a sense of wonder merely by describing what is in front of him, often offering social and historical information on the place in question, too. A map on the closing spread notes the location that each photo depicts. VERDICT This attractive title is packed with geographical information and is one of those rare books that both children and adults will find fascinating.-Henrietta Verma, Library Journal (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.