To the Moon and Back (Reese's Book Club)

A Novel

De: Eliana Ramage

Narrado por: Nathalie Standingcloud, Kamali Minter, Tanis Parenteau

A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK: “A breathtaking debut about family, identity, and love across generations.” —REESE WITHERSPOON

“Eliana Ramage will break your heart and take you to the stars. From painfully accurate depictions of adolescence to effortless jumps through time and space—I loved it all.” —KILEY REID

In this dazzlingly powerful story of family, ambition and belonging, one young woman’s obsessive quest to become the first Cherokee astronaut irrevocably alters the fates of the people she loves most.

Steph Harper is on the run. She has been all her life, ever since her mother drove five-year-old Steph and her younger sister through the night to Cherokee Nation, a place they had never been, but where she hoped they might finally belong. In response to the turmoil, Steph sets her sights as far away from Oklahoma as she can get, vowing that she will let nothing get in the way of pursuing the rigorous physical and academic training she knows she will need to be accepted by NASA, and ultimately, to go to the moon.

Spanning three decades and several continents, To the Moon and Back encompasses Steph’s turbulent journey, along with the multifaceted and intertwined lives of the three women closest to her: her sister Kayla, an artist who goes on to become an Indigenous social media influencer, and whose determination to appear good takes her life to unexpected places; Steph’s college girlfriend Della Owens, who strives to reclaim her identity as an adult after being removed from her Cherokee family through a challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act; and Hannah, Steph and Kayla’s mother, who has held up her family’s tribal history as a beacon of inspiration to her children, all the while keeping her own past a secret.

In Steph’s certainty that only her ambition can save her, she will stretch her bonds with each of these women to the point of breaking, at once betraying their love and generosity, and forcing them to reconsider their own deepest desires in her shadow. Told through an intricately woven tapestry of narrative, To the Moon and Back is an astounding and expansive novel of mothers and daughters, love and sacrifice, alienation and heartbreak, terror and wonder. At its core, it is the story of the extraordinary lengths to which one woman will go to find space for herself.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"The performances of Nathalie Standingcloud, Kamali Minter, and Tanis Parenteau enhance the diverse perspectives of the Cherokee women in this compelling audiobook, which spans more than 30 years."

soul shaking

as a non-native Oklahoma girl, I found the story riveting and enlightening. I can't recommend this book highly enough. The characters will capture your heart and the narrative performances bring them so vividly to life that I feel I've made new friends. my time spent with tribal people is treasured and this book took me right back to those experiences. you will fall in love with Kayla and Steph and Hannah and Della and the rest, I feel certain.

Monotonous narration

I couldn’t get past the monotone narration. Premise of the story seemed interesting. Maybe if read book instead of listened

Grounded Astronaut

A person of Native American decent tries to figure out life, as a Gay Native American, aspiring astronaut, a sister of an opposite minded yet similar sister and an enigma of their mother. Is everything always right there, just needing fresh perspective?

Incredible & Beautiful

I absolutely love the story the narrators, beautiful voice retelling these events I’m obsessed!! definitely sharing this story with my Book Club friends

To the Moon and Back

I loved the story. It was well written and captivating. I could not put it down!!

A beautifully human experience of identity and belonging

This novel is remarkably ambitious, weaving together themes of family, relationships, identity, belonging, ambition, and survival. It asks, “what do we owe to those who came before us?” and explores how the main characters answer that question in their own ways—Steph, striving to become the first Cherokee astronaut; Kayla, proudly defending indigenous heritage through activism and social media; and their mother, who tries to anchor her daughters in the Cherokee community in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

At its core, this is a messy and deeply human story about growing up, growing apart, and finding your way back. I loved how it portrays relationships that bend, break, and sometimes heal again over decades—from the sisters’ 1980s childhood to the present. Eliana also cleverly evolves her narration to reflect modern communication styles like texts, social media posts, and dating profiles. It makes the story feel current and is an interesting way to portray how these characters express themselves to the outside world.

What struck me most about this book is how real these characters feel. They’re flawed, selfish, sometimes even unlikeable—but in the most human way. Even minor characters, like her stepfather Brett, are fully developed and memorable. Steph’s journey, in particular, feels raw and honest as she comes to realize what her singular goal of going to space costs her and who she will have to sacrifice.

The fact that this is Eliana’s debut novel is extremely impressive. Her writing style comes across as a veteran, well-seasoned author. It’s loaded with beautiful and insightful one-liners (I have a lot of bookmarks!). As a queer Cherokee author, it’s clear that she poured a lot of her own experiences into this book, making it feel all the more authentic. I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next.

Can’t take anymore!

Boring story. Monotonous narration. Too long. Bailing for now. May or may not pick it up again.

Not much

I would not recommend this book. It is difficult to follow and the narrator sounds like she’s miserable reading at the entire time.

Boring, selfish and whines the whole book.

I kept waiting for a point, a real story or something of value. Never found it. Made it to part 3 and I'm just not sure how much longer I can hang in waiting for a real story and something of value.

Disappointing

This book attempts to weave together stories of Cherokee history, astronauts, and lesbian experiences. Unfortunately, the narratives felt disjointed and lacked the strong, uplifting qualities I was hoping for. Instead, the focus seemed repeatedly tangled in the characters’ lesbian love lives, which overshadowed the more intriguing themes. I found myself dragging through it rather than being pulled in.