The Last Man on the Moon: Astronaut Eugene Cernan and America's Race in Space Book

One of the most approachable, readable and entertaining astronaut books I have read. Cernan writes with a minimum of technical detail and as a result we get a close up view of the human side of his story and therefore of Apollo and Gemini itself.

To get an idea of the stories of the individual flights of these programs it really pays to read the bios and autobios of those that flew them and this is no exception. You don't get to hear about Apollo 17 very often although it was one of the most successful and interesting flights of them all - 3 days on the Lunar surface, driving around in a buggy etc. His story is particularly relevant as the last man to set foot on the Moon and so has historical significance.

Add to that Cernan's trip to the Moon in Apollo 10 which came within 60000 feet or so of the surface in the final dress rehearsal for the landing and he becomes one of a very select few to have been to the Moon twice (Lovell and Young being the others). He is also the most experienced Astro and therefore he has a lot to talk about and he describes it very well.

Particularly interesting his thoughts on crew rotations, relationship to others in the program, particularly Al Shepard and the feelings he had during each of his flights.