This column, featuring staff recommendations in honor of National Moon Day, appeared in the July 20, 2025, edition of the Omaha World-Herald (NE). It is also available at Omaha.com (opens in a new tab).
Omaha Public Library staff offer recommendations in honor of National Moon Day
Omaha Public Library wants to help readers find new books — or at least books new to them. Our employees recommend reading based on different writing genres, themes or styles. In honor of National Moon Day on July 20, staff have suggested their favorite nonfiction and fiction books featuring astronauts, lunar insights, or space exploration. Find these books and more at your local branch or omahalibrary.org, opens a new window.
"The Dispossessed" Ursula K. Le Guin: This science fiction classic tells the story of Shevik, a scientist from the anarchist utopian moon of Anarres who uproots his life to complete his scientific research on Urras, the planet his home orbited, which has much of the same problems we have here on Earth. The book alternates in chapters between Shevik back home on Anarres and the culture shock of his life on Urras. A book about communication and imagining a better world. — David Dick, library specialist at the Benson Branch
"Growing Up Weightless" by John M. Ford: A lost classic that was brought back into print a few years ago, this book tells the intertwining stories of Matt, a boy feeling frustrated by the confines of an independent Luna (don’t call it the Moon, tourist) where life has become comfortable and there’s no need for exploration and innovation, and his father, a member of Luna’s governing council who has been presented with a tricky problem from Earth. When Matt and his friends plan an adventure to Farside, everything in Matt’s life changes by the time he’s back home.
Perhaps the most beautiful coming of age book I’ve ever read, Ford’s novel begs to be read in one sitting, in part because it is one continuous story with no chapter breaks. If this book had been in print when I was Matt’s age, I would’ve devoured it and sung its praises to everyone I know. — Billy Coghill, library technology specialist
"Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race" by Margot Lee Shetterly: It is such a powerful story about these amazing African American women who helped America beat the Soviet Union to the moon — despite everything against them, including segregation. It’s a story I never knew about, and I wish more people would take the time to learn about them. So many of the things NASA has accomplished wouldn’t be possible without these brilliant, dedicated women. This book was also made into a movie in 2017. — Ashlee Coffey, library specialist at the Saddlebrook Branch
"The Lunar Chronicles" by Marissa Meyer: The series begins with “Cinder.” I enjoyed it because there are interesting fictional technologies used and an awesome spaceship! This series is great for people who enjoy space travel and fantasy, and might be wondering what it would be like to live with a little bit of magic... on the moon! — Jazlyn Rodriguez, library aide at the Willa Cather Branch
"Moon Pops" by Hui-na Paek: I recommend celebrating the moon and summer by reading Moon Pops by Hui-na Paek. Various creatures in an apartment dwelling commiserate together when it’s so hot the moon melts. An ingenious idea to make popsicles from the moon gets complicated when the moon rabbits show up! Full of detail and surprises, this magical picture book features handmade dioramas by Paek. It’s a fun, contemporary twist to traditional lunar folklore. — Victoria Hoyt, assistant branch manager at the A.V. Sorensen Branch
"Orbital" by Samantha Harvey: This Booker Prize-winning read is a slim and stunning novel about six astronauts experiencing the 16 rotations around our planet in one Earth day. Readers get to see charming and realistic slices of life of their time in space, along with their musings about our humanity and the wonderful planet we live on. — Gabbi Anzalone, library specialist at the Charles B. Washington Branch
"Sex on the Moon: The Amazing Story Behind the Most Audacious Heist in History" by Ben Mezrich: This is a true story about three interns working at NASA who stole a safe containing the moon rocks. We usually hear about all the brilliant scientists and engineers who work for NASA; this story is more unusual. — Liz Cajka, library specialist at the Downtown Branch
"The Skylark of Space“ by E.E. "Doc” Smith: An early work that helped establish space opera as a science fiction subgenre, Skylark was completed in 1920 and published serially in 1928. The story shows its age, but many of Smith’s imaginary creations would inform or become the stuff of real science in aeronautics and defense in the decades that followed. — Mark Sorensen, collection development librarian
"Strange Angel" by George Pendel: Jack Parsons, pioneering rocket scientist and co-founder of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, led a life that was stranger than fiction. This biography covers his high-octane science experiments, his occult dabbling, and his one-of-a-kind social circle. — Sorensen
"T-minus: The Race to the Moon" by Jim Ottaviani: This book is a middle-grade graphic novel suitable for older readers as well. It chronicles the race to the moon, detailing both the American and Soviet lunar programs. — Torsten Adair, library aide at the Benson Branch
A bonus recommendation for documentary lovers: "From the Earth to the Moon" is a dramatic documentary from HBO of the Apollo manned space program, executive-produced by Tom Hanks. — Adair
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