Taylor Jenkins Reid's 'Atmosphere' Named GMA Book Club Pick

Published: June 3, 2025

Taylor Jenkins Reid's latest novel, 'Atmosphere', has been announced as Good Morning America's June book club pick. The book tells the story of a romantic connection between two astronauts, one in space and the other on Earth, in the 1980s.

Reid conducted extensive research to create a realistic narrative, including touring NASA facilities, contacting a former NASA flight director, and scouring through hundreds of documents. She even reached out to people who had worked in Mission Control to help her pull it all together.

The author's research inspired a deep awe for the night sky and all it reveals to us. "Atmosphere pushed me to learn about astronomy, and to go outside and look up at the night sky," Reid says. "There is, for me, something really close to magical about standing in my backyard and looking up and seeing Orion's Belt… It gives such a beautiful sense of how the world is turning in both a literal way and a metaphorical way."

Throughout the discovery process, Reid stumbled upon some truly remarkable moments in time, like astronaut John Young smuggling a sandwich in his spacesuit, and the crumbs resulting in a protocol breach so large that the matter was brought before a Congressional committee.

Reid's research also helped her find relatable moments in people who have accomplished so much. "As incredibly accomplished, impressive, and brave our astronauts are, they are also just people, sick of eating dehydrated food out of a bag. I loved that," she says. "I love finding those moments of humanity in exceptional people."

The author hopes that her book will inspire readers to feel the same awe she feels. "Writing the book made it very difficult for me to ever take [space] for granted again," she says. "My hope is that there will be some people who feel that awe that I feel, and that Joan feels."

'Atmosphere' is available now, wherever books are sold.

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