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Earth to Moon

By: Moon Unit Zappa
Narrated by: Moon Unit Zappa
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Publisher's summary

From Moon Unit Zappa, the daughter of musical visionary Frank Zappa, comes a memoir of growing up in her unconventional household in 1970s Los Angeles, coming of age in the Hollywood Hills in the 1980s as the “Valley Girl,” gaining momentum as an accidental VJ on a new network called MTV, and finding herself after losing her father, then her mother, and the testing of her most important relationships.

How can you navigate life as the “normal” child of an extraordinary creative? What is it like to live in a hothouse of individuality that on one hand fosters freedom of expression, and on the other tamps down the basic desires of a child for boundaries and affection? Should you call your parents Frank and Gail from birth?

For Moon Unit Zappa, processing a life so punctuated by the whims of genius, the tastes of popular culture, the calculus of celebrity, and the nature of love, was at times eviscerating, at times illuminating—but mostly deeply confusing. Yes, this is a book about growing up in the shadow of Frank Zappa. Moon and her family were a source of constant curiosity, for their unique names and for their father’s reputation as a musical savant and fierce protector of the First Amendment, even though he was never a commercial success.

Searching for her own path, first as her father’s inadvertent musical collaborator and public sidekick with their surprise mega radio hit, then as an actress, an artist, a spiritual person, a wife and mother, Moon Unit calculates ever-changing equations of fame, family, death and ultimately legacy when dealt the shocking news that Gail’s will established an unequal distribution among the remaining, tight-knit Zappas, catalyzing a quest for meaning and redemption.

With love, humor, and humility, Earth to Moon reminds us that every family is faced with problems that are unique to their particular makeup, but the journey to growing into yourself with grace is as universal as it gets.

©2023 Moon Unit Zappa (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about Earth to Moon

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Moon Gets It

I’m so grateful to have listened to this raw, emotional, and validating memoir. I bawled, I giggled, and I think I’ll revisit her writing often. This one resonates BIG TIME. Thank you, Moon.

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Such a good story!

I'm on my third or fourth time listening to Moon Zappa's memoir EARTH TO MOON. Such an engaging story, so well told, with real and raw emotion. Loved it so much that I recommended it to my daughters and several friends. 👍👍

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Good story/annoying narration

Her story is very well written. I usually enjoy listening to memoirs read by the author, but I could barely abide how often she went into an almost crying voice that seemed like bad acting. She would go into this voice for only one sentence sometimes, so it was distracting and seemed disingenuous. Highly annoying. Read the book. It’s good. Don’t listen. Her narration would have been great (she sounds a lot like Molly Shannon) if she had just read it normally and let her words do the talking rather than trying hard to emote so much. Frankly, it made me question the veracity of the entire narrative.

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Heartbreaking Gen X Memoir That’s Worth a Listen

A must listen for any Gen Xer who grew up in a dysfunctional family. A well written and fascinating story of the burden of fame and being raised in a family centered on hero worship. You really feel for the author.

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Riveting memoir

Great read, more sad than funny.
When I mention to people that I used to be a huge fan of Frank's music and I get a response: "Oh yeah, Valley girl, right ?", I just shake my head, like you have no idea what Frank's music is. Well, until this memoir that is all I knew about Moon, and I had no idea.

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be warned- you might cry

I didn't pick this book because of the connection to Frank Zappa. truthfully I barely knew who he or his family were. I picked this book because of the tagline on an article about it. it said something about her mother being her first bully and her father being emotionally distant. if that doesn't describe my family I don't know what does. so I read it in hopes that this book would be a cathartic read. this was a very well written book that was both absolutely heart breaking and heart healing. Not only does she tell this story well her insights about healing and trauma have been extremely helpful. it's providing great conversation starters for therapy. so if your family can also be summed up as a mother who was your first bully and an emotionally distant and often selfish father I think you should give it a listen.

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Rock star parents

Holy moly what a thing to go through as a child. The internal struggles Moon went through. She handled everything amazingly well.

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Honesty Honesty Honesty!

Talk about digging deep! Way to go Moon Unit!

I’m experiencing much the same in my family and a Mother who is hellbent on showing me how much I really mean to her! She’s “Loving” me to death! Lol!

I too will get nothing in the day she dies and she’ll be leaving everything to my sister, proving her selfish and insolent behavior.

The entire book had me feeling your pain!

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Moon Zappa's book is relatable and well written

The secret history of rock music is the kids who get left behind by musicians who can't, because of ego and/or circumstance, surrender the spotlight to their children. Not necessarily the one on stage, but the love and nurturing and selflessness that good parents either have or develop. Successful musicians often aren't around for huge chunks of the year so their kids grow up alone in a long shadow. And a version of this is true for anyone whose parents are emotionally or literally unavailable, or maybe too narcissistic or self-involved to nurture. For all of those kids I think Moon Zappa's book could be valuable. It's entertaining, it's realistic, it's emotional, relatable, mostly well-written, and worth the time to read and think about. It is, however, overlong, self indulgent, and overflowing with "How could you?"

"Healing" may actually be a problem for Ms. Zappa, a kind of obsession that the idle rich allow themselves because there isn't enough to do. Probably anyone without enough to do could fall into this trap. Anyway, the underlying feelings are understandable and the book is generally worth reading.

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~Mesmerizing Memoir~

Moon Unit Zappa's memior "Earth to Moon" is a melodious menagerie of what makes up the very essence of the heart. Moon's heart. Her words are soft, encapsulating, sharp, and dynamic. She paint a mind-blowing consequential picture of the microcosmic lifestyle and challenges of day to day life in the Zappa household. It is both humorous and melancholic, with many hold your breath moments.

Thanx Moon Unit

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