Earth to Moon cover art

Earth to Moon

A Memoir

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

$8.99/mo after trial ends. Cancel anytime
Try for $0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for $31.86

Buy Now for $31.86

About this listen

 The saying goes that "God only gives you what you can handle." Well God didn't grow up in my atheist, Wiccan, fame-laden, oversexed, teetotalling, drug-free, cloistered, chaotic, non-communicative, workaholic, feral-feeling house.'

For Moon Unit, daughter of musician Frank Zappa and his 'manager', Gail, processing a life so unique, so punctuated by the whims of creative urges, the tastes of popular culture and the calculus of celebrity, has at times been eviscerating. But it is her deep sense of humour and unshakeable humility that keeps her - and this memoir - pinned to the ground.

A child-star at age 14 after her accidental international hit single (recorded with her father), 'Valley Girl', turned her into a reluctant celebrity, Moon Unit Zappa's life has been utterly extraordinary from her birth in 1967 into a family that was already blessed/cursed as music royalty thanks to the acknowledged genius of Frank. But what are the consequences of growing up in a family who spend most of their time naked arguing about sexual/extra-marital liaisons and practising white magic in a free-for-all state of nonconformist, virtuoso abandon?

Earth to Moon is a reckoning with self-esteem, the ghosts of the past and a mother and a father who, in the process of leaving their mark upon on the world, scarred their first daughter on home soil. Brutally self-deprecating and funny as hell, it belies a rose-tinted perspective on the 70s and 80s west coast American scene, from within the belly of the beast of the rock and roll world.©2024 Moon Unit Zappa Entertainment & Celebrities Relationships Women Funny Celebrity Witchcraft Magic Comedy

Critic Reviews

This is a wonderful book: lyrical, moving and funny
Moon . . . is a sublime writer who dips her pen in Nora Ephron's ink
Even if you're no Zappa fan, this is a funny and, yes, Frank, look at how selfish rock stars harm their kids
Engrossing
Earth to Moon makes for engaging and charitable company
Very funny
Gripping, hilarious and often mesmerising, this warts and all account of bohemian family life shines a light on the damaging effects of fame in the golden age of the counterculture (ADELLE STRIPE)
Will uplift you, inspire you and blow your mind (PAMELA DES BARRES)
Anyone how has ever felt lost, weird, confused, disempowered, underutilised, horny, dismissed, then spoke up and took the high road will love this book as much as I do (KYLE RICHARDS)
With unflinching detail and sharp, witty prose, Moon captures both the specificity and universality of an aloneness that comes from being raised by narcissists (ARIEL LEVE)
Rich with detail, this excellent book does not let you escape the feeling of being there and experiencing that life for yourself (JUSTINE BATEMAN)
Every family is locked into its own form of dysfunction - but Earth to Moon is written with so much authenticity you cannot help but feel connected (ROSANNA ARQUETTE)
All stars
Most relevant
Loved Moon’s mind and story telling. What a beautiful young girl and now woman. Transports you into her world with her wonderful insights and imagination. What a journey.

Earth to Moon

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Fascinating & frustrating. The number of times I wanted to grab Moon & tell her to wake up & stop defending her mother! I love Frank’s music, but it’s apparent from this memoir that he had no interest in being a father. And Gail… what a piece of work. Moon’s willingness to forgive her is admirable but something I can’t understand.

Ouch

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
For much of the book I was very much in Moons corner; a young mind negotiating a wildly chaotic, and at time wildly inappropriate environment with an absent, self-absorbed workaholic dad and a mum who seemingly channelled her frustrations into her kids rather than the places they actually belonged. Moon is a fine writer; her vivid descriptions combined with the excellent reading provide a sense of time and place and immediacy to scenes that could be hard for less voices to convey.

The back third of the book was less satisfying, speeding past glimpses of the Gail-spawned legal troubles around the Zappa estate which either needed a more fleshing out or simply be left off entirely. I would have been more than happy to Moon to draw the line at her life with Gail and Frank and leave the rest to the public record. Instead, the book closes on note of forgiveness and resolution that while hopefully real for Moons sake, feels more like a wish and a want on her part.

If only human beings resolved as neatly as fictional narratives. Families, huh?

Beautifully written & read if a bit frustrating

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I liked the whole story but I was slightly annoyed that I wasn’t thanked at the end

Very well written and presented

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved how this memoir brought me so close to the author. I really felt the pain by and joy of her journey. Having Moon reading her own story also connected me with her and her life and gave me so much to take away and contemplate in my own battle with past trauma and adversity.

Authenticity and heart in a very personal account

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.