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Biography & Autobiography. Family & Relationships. History. Nonfiction. HTML:The #1 New York Times bestselling memoir that inspired the film October Sky, Rocket Boys is a uniquely American memoir�a powerful, luminous story of coming of age at the dawn of the 1960s, of a mother's love and a father's fears, of a group of young men who dreamed of launching rockets into outer space . . . and who made those dreams come true. With the grace of a natural storyteller, NASA engineer Homer Hickam paints a warm, vivid portrait of the harsh West Virginia mining town of his youth, evoking a time of innocence and promise, when anything was possible, even in a company town that swallowed its men alive. A story of romance and loss, of growing up and getting out, Homer Hickam's lush, lyrical memoir is a chronicle of triumph�at once exquisitely written and marvelously entertaining. One of the most beloved bestsellers in recent years, Rocket Boys is a uniquely American memoir. A powerful, luminous story of coming of age at the end of the 1950s, it is the story of a mother's love and a father's fears, of growing up and getting out. With the grace of a natural storyteller, Homer Hickam looks back after a distinguished NASA career to tell his own true story of growing up in a dying coal town and of how, against the odds, he made his dreams of launching rockets into outer space come true. A story of romance and loss and a keen portrait of life at an extraordinary point in American history, Rocket Boys is a chronicle of triumph.… (more)
User reviews
I am a big fan of the movie, October Sky and looked forward to reading the book the movie is based
Space captures the imagination of young Homer who witnesses the Russian satellite Sputnik from his back yard one starry October night in 1957. Homer suddenly starts envisioning himself as someone who helps build the U.S. rockets that will successfully go into space. His hero becomes German rocket scientist Dr. Wernher von Braun who comes to America to help in the U.S. space program. Homer’s ultimate goal is to work on Dr. Braun’s team at the newly formed NASA. Sophomore Homer wants to start building rockets but he has no idea how. He finds a way, though, by recruiting one of the smartest kids he knows at Big Creek High School and enlisting his friends in his endeavor. Thus the Rocket Boys and the Big Creek Missile Agency (BCMA) is born. The boys spend weekends together learning everything they need to know to get their rockets to fly and gathering the necessary funds it will take to keep their rockets built, fueled, and ready to launch. With the support of their families, each other, the townspeople and a pretty young science teacher who has unwavering faith in them, the Rocket Boys, slowly but surely, enjoy success and fame in their little town. The Rocket Boys’ rockets become quite literally the launching pad out of the dead-end town of Coalwood and into a better future.
Complete with sibling rivalry, unrequited love, a son desperately looking for his father’s approval, and a small group of boys who dare to dream bigger than their background dictates they should, Rocket Boys is a quintessential American coming of age story. A great story wonderfully written and told. In a word: "Prodigious!"
I was interested in this book mostly because I was interested in rockets -- well, that, and I remembered liking the movie version -- but there's a lot more to this memoir than rockets. It's also a coming of age story, a memoir about family life with a workaholic father, and a glimpse into a way of life that was already vanishing even then. It's told extremely well, in a novelistic style, with a little touch of nerdiness and a lot of folksy charm. You really don't have to be interested in rockets at all to enjoy it. Although, seriously, how can you not be interested in rockets?
That could act as a summary to the book. At fourteen-years-old Homer Hickam was an average student with no real ambition in a dying town--and then in 1957 Sputnick swept over the October skies of West Virginia. It inspired
I'm a space nut...er... enthusiast. So I admit this story might have a special resonance for me. On the other hand, a book rarely moves me to tears--and this one did. It's a memoir that reads like a novel--a page-turning, uplifting novel. There was a film based on this book. I've seen it and it's a good film. But this was a great book.
In all seriousness though, this book didn't just touch my soul, it kidnapped it. I have always loved the movie and was even inspired to go to engineering school because of it (I decided I hated math and switched majors later). I didn't expect to like the book as much as the movie, but was pleasantly surprised to find I loved it far more. I hate to be cliche, but I'll confess, I DID laugh, I DID cry, and I don't regret a second of it.
The book delves more deeply into the life of coalminers in the mid-20th century and offers a lot of insight into what life was like for people in the era of my parents' youth. It also has a great deal more in it that the movie lacked.
Without giving anything away, I'd just like to say if you so much as liked the movie, you absolutely must read this book.
October Sky (aka Rocket
It’s a fascinating look at a place so rural, the high school is a couple of hour bus drive away and at a time (1957) when almost no one had heard of rockets and NASA didn’t exist. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Until I began to build and launch rockets, I didn't know my hometown was at war with itself
Homer (Sonny) became fascinated by rockets when he first learned of the launching of the first Sputnik by the Russians in 1957. He and his friends formed the BCMA, Big Creek Missile Agency and set off to discover how to build rockets in attempts that would now likely put them in court for theft at best and their parents in court for child endangerment. Things were really different in the 50's, and Homer's mother admonished him mainly to not blow himself up.
It is more than a story about building rockets. It is about life in a coal mining town, Coalwood, where everything is owned by the company. There was little hope for the boys in Coalwood, little chance that they could do anything other than following their fathers into the coalmines, little chance that they would go to college. The outlook was even bleaker for the girls who would most likely be stay-at-home wives trapped in a company town and married to coal miners, hoping they wouldn't lose their husbands in a mining accident and their homes two weeks later when widows had to leave the company housing.
It is also a story about relationships, Homer Sr.'s love of and dedication to the mine, of his stoicism and the rift between his younger son and himself, of his hope for his older boy's potential football career. Of the strained relationship between Homer's parents, between Homer and his brother, of friendships, and of a very special teacher who never let Homer give up his dream. The book is a touching and inspiring memoir of what a boy with dreams can accomplish, against all odds.
I hope this letter is going to be sent to the correct address because Sonny, I have been looking for a way to write you when you left Coalwood. I don't know if I should call you Sonny or Homer, it has been so long! I hear your name some times on the radio and when ever the television is
I'm still in good ol' West Virginia. My family and I moved from Coalwood because my father got fired from the mine because they couldn't pay him. But it is alright. It is nice to see other parts of the state. Remeber when I asked you if you if you had ever left West Virginia before? Well, I still haven't. I guess I just love my home state too much! But I would still like to explore the country. I promised myself I would visit a different state, maybe Florida. They have got nice beaches down there. How about you Sonny, how have you been? Have you traveled the world on your rockets yet?
So, you and all the other Rocket Boys must be all engineers like you. How are the rest of the gang? I'm sorry I have so many questions, but you are so interesting Sonny.
Please write soon!
Your friend,
Dorothy Plunk
Dear Dorothy,
I can't believe you found my address, I have been moving around a bit, trying to find a good home. No, I have not traveled all around the world yet, but it is on my list of priorities. I have visited a few states though, for the rockets. Remember the science I went to in Indianapolis? That is the kind of things I have been involved with lately. Let me tell you about the Rocket Boys, me, Quentin, Billy, and Sherman became engineers. Roy Lee became a banker and O'Dell went into insurance and farming. But, I don't know if you heard, poor Sherman died of a heart attack.* It was not really expected, so it was a real shock. He always seemed so healthy and athletic, who knows how it happened. May he rest in peace.
Sounds like your doing well Dorothy. Are you married yet? It's okay if you don't want to tell me, I don't want to be poking through your business, unless you want to tell me.
I was glad to hear from you,
Homer Hickam Jr. (Sonny)
A lovely
While the movie was faithful to the book, the book shines in its detail and depth. You get the West Virginia company town of Coalwood, its people places and history. You get humor, small town boredom, unfiltered teen angst, family conflict, and life and death incident. You also learn about principles of rocket propulsion.
Mr. Hickam tells it in a pleasing, unvarnished style. An engrossing and moving story.
until I got to Sputnik II where the Russians sent their dog up to die.
Couldn't go on with this really well-written book....