Reading Log #5

Title: Apollo 13
Author: William Broyles JR, AL Reinert and John Sayles
Text type: Novel
Date: 20/09/17

The novel Apollo 13 by William Broyles Jr, Al Reinert and John Sayles is about three astronauts whose plan was to get to the moon. Their plans all changed when they began to face life threatening events on board the ship. While almost 320,000 kilometers above earth, engines started to shut down, they had an oxygen spill and they also started to lose power that they needed to get them back down to earth. In the end of this novel, the three astronauts returned home safely with the help of the mission control group in Texas.

An important idea to learn from this text, is what teamwork really is. Teamwork is not only about working together, but also caring for on another and making sure everyone you are working with is okay. Teamwork also covers things like good communication and leadership skills. Teamwork was shown in dept throughout this novel. We see it most when the spaceship had started to have technical difficulties. The men on board were demonstrating teamwork when they had to figure out what to do to get them back down to earth safely. Lifting their sick friend Fred, throwing heaving objects from one side of the spaceship to another and yelling across numbers so another astronaut could press the correct controls, all are great examples of what teamwork skills were showed in this novel. Teamwork is becoming weaker and weaker every day. I think that it needs to be used more around the world, not only in sports teams but in the wider world. If we don't start to use teamwork, where will we be in 20 years?

This text is relevant to students my age because one of the main points behind it is to be committed. Not only committed to sports teams, school or work, but also committed to your goal in life. In this novel, one of the main characters Jim, had a goal to be one of the lucky men to walk on the moon. The first Apollo Jim went on, only went around the moon, not on it so he never got to walk on it. When Jim was on Apollo 13, he was passionate and committed to the idea of him not being the first, but just being a lucky man who gets to walk on the moon. Even though Jim did not get what he desired, he was still committed to the idea but had to change his way of thinking and begin committing his ideas on how he could get him and his crew home safely. Teenagers these days like to give up on things if it doesn't work for them the first time. Being committed to something means you just don't stop until you get what you want and/ or need. I think we need our society to be filled with people who are passionate and committed to their goals in life. If you don't have a goal, how are you going to get anywhere in life?