Please, please read this book. It’s the most interesting, perspective-shifting book about humanity that I’ve ever read. It’s just so convincingly inspiring. I really hope you read it.

So many of us will never get the chance to go into space. In fact, it’s statistically very unlikely we’ll even know anybody who will ever go to space. And yet, after reading this book, I feel like I’ve had the rare and eye-opening experience of what it’s like to see our vulnerable planet from that kind of outsider’s perspective.

This book is so much more than a story-telling device. Let me tell you. It also acts as a mirror and a (somewhat terrifying) window into our future. Once you devour all of the interesting facts and fascinating stories told by Cruddas, you then feel left with the deep-rooted emotions felt by Astronauts that have been safely returned to Earth. There’s a reason Astronauts come back from space as changed people (the ‘overview effect’) and you really must read this book to understand why.

This book quickly became compulsive reading for me. I didn’t realise just how much we have achieved in such a short space of time, it turns out I knew so little about the incredible history and sacrifices that came with (and led to) the entire space race movement.

But here are a few highlights I’d never considered before: how much space exploration has helped us understand our own planet, such as the movement of our animals, the health of our crops and the best way to handle our natural (or man made) disasters. Then there’s the humans that I’d never heard of! Cruddas remembers and names the lesser-known heroes, those that gave their lives, and those that battled relentless sexism and racism to follow their passion and help humanity progress in multiple ways.

Cruddas really draws you in with her educated yet simple writing style. She writes matter-of-factly, keeping your attention while also keeping her stories moving at a fast pace. Somehow she leaves you wanting more while also divulging thoughts that you’d never have considered yourself. I never once felt like I was being lectured to, yet felt incredibly well-informed! I’m hitting that subscribe button. Hard.

Favourite quote:

If the world leaders could have looked out of the window of the International Space Station for themselves and seen that thin blue line which protects us from the inhospitable void of space, what might the overview effect have done for the agreements made in Paris that December?

Look Up is out now! (Released on 17th September) so please grab yourself a copy.

This book seems to make a lot of assumptions... that we all have smart phones... that we all have sight... that we (the reader) haven't been to space (I really hope Tim Peake picks up a copy and dips in). The first assumption came quite early on in the book, and left me feeling pretty detached from the rest of it. It also feels like an outline of our story with the stars. Some parts do take you quite deeply into them, but it's selective. I think this would have been better if Sarah Cruddas has written her story with the stars...

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advance copy to review. This review is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

A wonderful and easy to read guide to the history of space exploration, told in a non-condescending manner. I love Sarah's narrative, she made learning fun, engaging and easy.