This month, the Wilson Public Library launched its fourth One Book, One Cozad program. As the library continues to work with NASA throughout 2018 as part of a NASA @ My Library grant to engage audiences in lifelong learning about earth and space sciences, this year’s selection is particularly poignant: The Ordinary Spaceman: From Boyhood Dreams to Astronaut (Nebraska, 2015) by Clayton C. Anderson.

Winner of the 2016 Nebraska Book Award, The Ordinary Spaceman puts you in the flight suit of U.S. astronaut Clayton C. Anderson and takes you on the journey of this small-town boy from Nebraska who spent 167 days living and working on the International Space Station, including more than forty hours of space walks. Having applied to NASA fifteen times over fifteen years to become an astronaut before his ultimate selection, Anderson offers a unique perspective on his life as a veteran space flier, one characterized by humility and perseverance.

In Mark Carreau’s review for Aviation Week Network he said that “Anderson’s down to Earth account of the astronaut’s life may help more of us to connect with the profession’s forward looking significance—a welcome addition to the outreach successes of Hollywood’s Box Office and NASA’s social media salvos.” 

Regularly scheduled book discussions and events will be held monthly at the library for all interested persons beginning in January. The library’s website will have information regarding events.

Wilson Public Library is encouraging all local book clubs to thoughtfully consider adding The Ordinary Spaceman to their selection lists for 2018.

The Nebraska Astronaut also has two new books publishing this year. Look for A is for Astronaut: Blasting Through the Alphabet (Sleeping Bear Press, 2018) in April and It’s a Question of Space: An Ordinary Astronaut’s Answers to Sometimes Extraordinary Questions (Nebraska, 2018) in July.