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posted 09-25-2008 10:59 PM               

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Associated Press: Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin working on memoir

Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, is working on a memoir about his triumphs in space and the hard times back on Earth.

"Magnificent Desolation: The Long Road Home from the Moon" will be published next year by Harmony Books, in time for the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing.

"From the pinnacle of Apollo, my greatest challenge became the human one -- overcoming alcoholism and living beyond depression -- a challenge that required more courage and determination than going to the moon," Aldrin, 78, said in a statement issued Thursday by Harmony.

"I was 39 years of age, had achieved my grandest goal, and should have been on top of the world, but there were no roadmaps, and few signposts if any along the way that could lead me out of the quagmire into which I had tumbled. For 10 years, I floundered."

I briefly spoke with Buzz last night about this book and his other upcoming title and the timing for the release of the two may change a bit so they do not overlap.

This will be his third memoir after "Return To Earth" (1973) and "Men From Earth" (1989). His children's book, "Reaching for the Moon" (2005) was also biographical.

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posted 09-29-2008 07:59 PM               

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Did he say if he is writing the memoir himself or if he is going to have someone writing it for him?

Also, I wonder if they will release an audio version narrated by Buzz...

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From: Houston, TX
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posted 09-30-2008 08:31 AM               

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quote:

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Originally posted by cspg:
Why a third memoir?

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I have no specific knowledge as to what inspired "Magnificent Desolation" but in the past 20 years since his last memoir was published, a lot has transpired in Aldrin's public and private life.

In theory, there is enough material based on just the past two decades to justify a new book, but there's also the plot hook of a former moonwalker now contributing to the effort to return humans to the Moon...

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posted 09-30-2008 11:43 AM               

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...and there's also the fact that a member of the first crew to land on the moon publishing a memoir in the year of the 40th anniversary of the event will be a nice money-making venture.

I'm not saying he shouldn't do it, and I'm not saying I won't buy it, I'm just sayin'.

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posted 09-30-2008 03:14 PM               

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Indeed there has been a lot to come along in Buzz's life in 20 years. His love life has been stable. He's the most visible of the Apollo 11 crewmembers and as such he seems to have somewhat embraced his "Rock Star" status and has done it with a bit of wit and humor (VH1's "Best Year Ever" appearance after the Lisa Nowak incident comes to mind). Then you have the infamous punch which seemed to elevate his reputation rather then damage it and he also seems to be letting his hair down more.

Besides, for somebody like me who hasn't acquired any of his previous bios, I would love to read what "Buzzer" has been up to these days.

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posted 06-24-2009 07:54 PM               

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I haven't read the book yet, but I wonder why the cover art is a picture of Aldrin's EVA during Gemini 12 rather than one which relates to the book title, Magnificant Desolation, which refers to the moon.

Also, every time I see this photo of the EVA I think of the Christie's auction in 1999, which led to the boom in space memorabilia, since this photo was on the cover of the catalogue.

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posted 06-26-2009 12:37 AM               

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Buzz was on the Today show a couple days ago and discussed why he wrote this book. Apparently when he wrote his last one, he did cover his depression, but didn't really get into his alcoholism as I guess it hadn't quite been diagnosed yet. But when the book came out, he realized he was an alcoholic and thus began that struggle. As such, this one covers that struggle as well.

In my opinion, the new cover works fine. All things considered I think this was probably Buzz's crowning achievement since he was the guy that helped to make EVAs doable again. Gemini 12 is what helped to make Buzz Aldrin popular in the eyes of many at NASA. Granted he played an important role on Apollo 11, but I think he probably considers his own role in 11 secondary to Neil's during the landing and the moon walk was sort of anti-climatic to the landing events. The world's reaction of course was different.

As such, I don't think "Magnificent Desolation" refers to the moon, but rather to what sort of happened to Buzz after he got back. Knowing Buzz, this was probably the intent of the title.

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posted 06-26-2009 07:31 AM               

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At the ASF event last November Buzz showed me his 30-year sober medallion he received from AA. A superb accomplishment. I'm looking forward to reading this book.

Go Buzz!

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posted 07-08-2009 01:29 PM               

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I read this book over the long weekend. It's an interesting and enjoyable read. Buzz's space adventures are finished by page 58; the bulk of the book is devoted to the story of Buzz finding something worthwhile to do after "doing everything" (walking on the moon) at an early age.

Buzz is very gracious in the book. He writes thankfully about the influence of Ed White in his career decisions and John Houbolt's contribution to the Apollo program, then laughs about being "the first Buzz on the moon." He talks openly of his battles with depression and alcoholism. Finally he gives thanks to his wife Lois for the positive influences and structure she has brought to his life.

Buzz has had a bumpy road since returning from the moon, but it's reassuring to learn he is not a superman but a normal person who is approaching life's challenges much like the rest of us. Kudos to Buzz for his honest approach to life and this book.

Gary 'Scrub' Milgrom
www.spacegary.com

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posted 07-11-2009 08:08 AM               

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Buzz pulls no punches. He talks about staying in bed for days at a time depressed and drinking. He would only get up to go to KFC and the liquor store. He's also honest about liking women and being a stud before he settled down with Lois. He finally figures things out and ends with positive insights about life and his marriage, but I might wait a few years before letting a high school age kid read this. Then again it could be a useful guide in how not to conduct oneself.

I don't have kids so I'm not comfortable making a recommendation.

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posted 07-27-2010 08:59 AM               

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quote:

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Originally posted by spacefan JC:
Not really thinking of massive appreciation, but it would be worth something, right?

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I would think that a hidden gift from a father to his daughter would be priceless in the eyes of the daughter. The market will be what it will be -- almost impossible to predict now, more than three decades separated.

As for preserving books, the U.S. Library of Congress offers some tips.

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