User:Nostalgic34/Book Template 1

Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys is an autobiographical book written by the Gemini 10 and Apollo 11 astronaut, Michael Collins. It was released in 1974 and has a foreword written by Charles A. Lindbergh. An updated version was re-released in 2009 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the first manned lunar landing.

The book covers his life chronologically, from the early days as a test pilot in the United States Air Force and subsequent selection as an astronaut, through to his spacewalks on Gemini 10 and final historic flight as Command Module pilot on Apollo 11. Collins presents firsthand insights into his astronaut colleagues, including Neil Armstrong ("I can't offhand think of a better choice to be the first man on the moon") ; Buzz Aldrin ("would make a champion chess player; always thinks several moves ahead") and John Young ("the epitome of the non-hero").

In his review for TIME magazine, Robert Sherrod calls it "the best-written book yet by any of the astronauts". As an author, Collins works without assistance from ghost writers, stating that "No matter how good the ghost, I am convinced that a book loses realism when an interpreter stands between the storyteller and his audience". Collins has subsequently released further titles, including Flying to the Moon and Other Strange Places  (1976), Liftoff: The Story of America's Adventure in Space  (1988) and Mission to Mars (1990).