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Marcus, Leonard S.

Earthrise: The Story of the Photograph That Changed the Way We See Our Planet

160 pp. | Farrar | March, 2025 | Trade ISBN 9780374392116 $21.99 | Ebook ISBN 9780374392123 $11.99
(2) 4-6 Children’s literature scholar Marcus provides valuable insight into early NASA history with this account of the famous titular photograph, taken from lunar orbit by Bill Anders, of the Apollo 8 mission in 1968. After introducing Earthrise as “an image that changed the world,” inspiring Earth Day and the environmental movement, Marcus looks back to the beginning of the space race with the Soviet launch of Sputnik and traces NASA’s efforts to catch up and pull ahead before focusing on Apollo 8 and its crew. Readers meet “perfectionist” commander Frank Borman, “easygoing” navigator Jim Lovell, and “doggedly task-oriented” Anders, who was the official photographer as well as systems engineer. Contextualizing the voyage within the turbulence of the year 1968 and rumors of an up-coming Soviet moonshot, Marcus describes how Apollo 8’s mission was hastily reoriented just four months before liftoff, amping up the tension. Quotes from transcripts enable Marcus to put readers in the capsule with Borman, Lovell, and Anders; Borman’s spontaneous “Oh, my God” at the astronauts’ first sight of Earth beyond the moon’s horizon underscores the effect of the moment. It also helps twenty-first-century young people understand how the novelty of that vision made Earthrise the powerful statement it became, which Marcus discusses in the final chapters. Carefully captioned photographs and occasional dives into related topics enhance the presentation. Back matter includes a thorough bibliography and source notes.
Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

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