SEX ON THE MOON The Amazing Story Behind the Most Audacious Heist in History

While a well-crafted reading is usually preferred by this listener, Casey Affleck’s casual, often unpolished narration serves to add some charm to these proceedings, slightly reversing the basic unlikability of this book’s central character, Thad Roberts. Why is Mr. Roberts so unlikable? First, he leaves his pretty, supportive wife in favor of a hot NASA intern, and second, he uses his NASA internship to steal moon rocks, an action that reveals his ignorance of all that they stand for—courage, risk-taking, national pride, the quest for knowledge. Affleck’s wide-eyed performance makes the case for naïveté being a big part of Roberts’s actions. Otherwise, SEX ON THE MOON is a bit of a head-scratcher. Did author Ben Mezrich and narrator Affleck really think we’d buy their portrayal of Roberts as a dashing rogue who meant no harm? J.P.M. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2011]