Alice Gorman

This is a marvelous book that examines humanity's exploration of space in its full cultural context, as recorded in the artifacts left behind both on Earth and elsewhere. Gorman developed as an archaeologist in the Australian outback, where she studied some of the most ancient artifacts of human culture at the same time that she was constantly stumbling across modern trash associated with the Space Age. With a light and conversational voice, she delivers piercing insights into the meaning of our various efforts to leave Earth behind, as well as an entertaining primer on how archaeologists work and what they can teach us. It’s a delightful read and a wonderful example of how enriching it can be to cross academic disciplines.… (altro)

File under: Not bad, not great. This book is equal parts life in science, field work, and prognostication, and it feels like two or three strong essays are struggling to get out; as opposed to being a collection of bullet points orbiting a gravity well. I do come away from this book feeling like I'd enjoy going drinking with Dr. Gorman, but there had to be a better way to organize this work. Some of the semi-humorous asides were of "dad joke" levels of groan-worthiness, whereas I would have liked more actual archeology theory.… (altro)