A Christmas Message From The Moon
by Philip Gibson
![27967729. sy475](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1448465979l/27967729._SY475_.jpg)
File Size: 1234 KB
Print Length: 16 pages
Publication Date: November 22, 2015
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
ASIN: B018EI7ZTI
Genre: History, Short Story
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0
On Christmas Eve 1968, the largest worldwide television audience in history tuned in to see the Apollo 8 astronauts become the first humans to reach the Moon. Halfway through their 6-day historic mission, the astronauts broadcast live TV pictures and commentary from lunar orbit.
At that time, no-one had any idea that a mere one minute of their historic journey would cause a nationwide controversy so great that it would end up in a lawsuit to be debated and decided by no less an august body than the Supreme Court of the United States.
The account is written not in the conventional book format, but in the form of today’s social media, imagining that the astronauts, and those following the mission, were able to post their thoughts to the public in real time.
The story begins with the astronauts of Apollo 8 just minutes away from beginning their historic Christmas message to the world.
Review:
Gibson presents the 1968 Christmas message from the Apollo 8 astronauts with a media format of shared commentary including well-known journalists of the day (like Walter Cronkite) and criticism from some who took offense. I was surprised to learn that a lawsuit challenged the Biblical reading as a violation of State and Religion. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court!
I remember (as a teenager) being impressed by the touching Christmas message from the moon. I found this work informative and interesting. I liked the format the author used to share this. It may not be scintillating, but I enjoyed this historically based story. I recommend it as a quick, informative read (and I think it is still free).
Source: January 2017 free Kindle download. This qualifies for 2019TBR and #HoHoHoRAT goals.