Earth to Moon

A Memoir

By: Moon Unit Zappa

Narrated by: Moon Unit Zappa

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

Fantastic work of a very damaged family

It’s shocking Moon and the other Zappa kids came out of their childhoods as normal as possible, Moon does a great job and I loved the book , it was definitely worth the purchase !!

Family traumas and resilience

As a lover of Frank Zappa's music (and his clear headed take on society and politics), I thought this would be an insightful look into his family life...it was. However, it was more interesting to me because it was a look into Moon's life and her journey in the shadow of Frank and Gayle...so many sad, but poignant, moments of a girl just trying to find her way through life while surrounding by the bizarre cast of characters in her life.

Devastatingly Beautiful

Midway through the book, as a teen living at home, she is on a talk show describing an incident at home that she thinks will be perceived by the television audience as quirky and funny. At the commercial break, the host says to her, in horror, "This is child abuse." Something we readers have been hoping the author will realize since Chapter One.

Raw and devastating and honest and funny. As with so many Audible books, hearing the author read her story adds such richness. Highly recommended for anyone. But teenage girls in particular may discover a kindred spirit in Moon Zappa. Very highly recommended.

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.

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.

You Were and Are a Lovely Person and This Book Will Help Many!

Thank you, Moon for this book! Any man who has his wits about him would be incredibly proud to have you as a daughter! Your strength of heart to wind your way through all of that trauma and emerge the way you are makes me happy for you and for many women, young women and men too- who need to learn to parent themselves and mother themselves to seek what Karen Horney calls the real self. I have been a therapist who has sat with many suicidal adolescents and I will be recommending your book to many alone with A Gift of Therapy by Yalom. It may help to realize that you are showing many a way! be well!! c

So good.

I am a huge Zappa fan. I knew little about Moon. I love her writing and this book s a rollercoaster of emotions. Great work from her.

Moon is a good storyteller

So engaging and entertaining a story. Good work Moon! For those who think their family is a shi*show Moon’s story will likely eclipse it.

Outstanding

Thanks to MUZ for sharing her life so eloquently and raw. There are no boring parts within the story or narration.

I really related to her family unit trauma

Moon really takes your thru her life deep inside the mind and emotions of an empath - so much of herself and her needs and feelings appear to have been pushed down while growing up in this enigmatic family. Life isn’t always fair… ahem, life just isn’t fair. But, Moon continued to persevere, even as the hits continued. She shows the ability to love, unconditionally her parents and siblings, even as the disappointments piled up.