Rocket Boys (The Coalwood Series #1) | Homer Hickam | A Memoir Of Small Town Rural America and a...

Rocket Boys (The Coalwood Series #1) | Homer Hickam | Inspiring true story of reaching for the stars

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Rocket Boys (The C...

	Rocket Boys (The Coalwood Series #1) Homer Hickam Delta, 2000 - 368 pages average customer review:based on 539 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A Memoir Of Small Town Rural America and a Personal Piece of the Race for Space

On the surface, Rocket Boys is the story of a group of small town West Virginia kids who upon seeing Sputnik are inspired to build their own rockets. In doing so, they learn to use a scientific approach and teach themselves trigonometry, calculus, and nozzle design as well as overcome other hurdles and roadblocks from people who didn't believe the sons of West Virginia coalminers could build successful rockets. Through their hard work and tenacity, they change a lot of minds and ultimately win a gold medal at the 1960 National Science Fair. The book inspired the major motion picture, "October Sky"

What truly made this story fascinating to me, however, are Hickam's observations of the people in his life and the dynamics in his family, his town, between the coal company and the union, and at his school. The characters he depicts are fascinating and he describes these characters in such a way you are drawn in and feel like you are a part of the town and the "Big Creek Missile Agency." The mining engineer and former fighter pilot who befriends and assists the young rocketeers, the teacher who inspires them and helps Hickam through rocky times in this life, and his mother, who must be a really incredible person, are all described in detail and make you wish you could meet them. Hickam makes you feel the joy of his successes as well as the sorrow of his personal losses and heartbreaks. After reading this book, I happened to be in that area and took a trip up route 16 through War, WV (where Big Creek High School is located) to Coalwood. After reading Hickam's descriptions, it was easy to make out the landmarks and the pieces of his childhood that still remain.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book highly recommend it.

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Inspiring true story of reaching for the stars

Coalwood, West Virginia, is a small coal mining "company" town. Boys grow up to work in the mine or, if they're lucky, they go to college on a football scholarship or join the armed services. Homer "Sonny" Hickam Jr., the son of the mine manager (and a "company man") isn't any good at football. But when the Russians launch Sputnik in 1957 and beat America into space he becomes interested in rockets. Along with his friends Roy Lee, Sherman, and O'Dell, they make some futile attempts (blowing up his mother's fence) and include the school nerd Quentin into their group. They work hard to understand complicated math subjects like trigonometry and calculus and experiment with different fuel mixes. With the encouragement of their chemistry teacher and others (especially Sonny's mother) they keep at it, in spite of the discouragement from others. Eventually their rockets are blowing up less and reaching heights over a mile, and Sonny represents the school in the National Science Fair.

I saw the movie "October Sky" about this true story several years ago, but it wasn't very memorable and I couldn't recall any details. I've since rented it again but wasn't particularly impressed this time either - it just wasn't very interesting. But I couldn't put the book down, reading it in just a couple of days. For being a NASA engineer, Mr. Hickam is a very gifted writer, and he brings to life this inspiring tale of how he and his friends reached for their dreams, and you feel what it was like to grow up in Coalwood and can relate to his feelings. Especially interesting is the relationship (or lack of one) he has with his father, who is not pleased with his son's desires that don't include working in the mine. But when he shows Sonny why he loves the mine, and as Sonny sees into his father's character, it's an amazing insight. It's also interesting how many people in the town get behind them, even risking their jobs to help the boys. The way the mine machinists start offering suggestions and making parts for them, then showing up at their launches at the slag dump they call "Cape Coalwood," emphasizes how much of an inspiration the boys became to the townspeople. And I really loved the way the newspaper reporter (for a small "grocery store rag") becomes one of their biggest cheerleaders. This is an inspirational book about growing up that I recommend enthusiastically!

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A fantastic book that will entertain and inspire the reader

I cannot believe it has taken me so long to getting around to reading this book. Our community had one of those reading together projects and the paper back version of this book was free. I cannot remember exactly when I got it (it was either the fall of 2001 or 2002) but I got it because I had seen and enjoyed the movie.

Well as is often the case the book is far superior top the movie. I found it hard to stop reading this at times keeping me up way past my bed time at times. I haven't had a book that grabbed my attention like this one in decades. It is moving and inspiring. It truly shows what you can accomplish with hard work and determination.
The book adds depth that the movie doesn't have time to cover. IT explores the family dynamics of Homer, Elsie, Jim and Sonny. It makes you feel like you are a part of that family living in Coalwood, WV in the late 50's. I have read many other books about NASA by people who were Astronauts or worked at NASA but this was by far the most engaging. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series!

I would recommend this as a read to anyone, but especially to teens. It deals with the struggles of going through adolescence and trying to find your place in life.

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Simply a great page-turner

Rocket Boys is more than an uplifting and inspiring memoir. It's one of the best reads going. Try to stop reading after the first few pages and you'll find it difficult to put down. Although the film October Sky is good, the memoir is so much better and quite different. If you think you know the story of Coalwood's Rocket Boys by seeing the movie, you're so wrong! The rich characters of the little mining town alone make this memoir worth reading even without the adventures of the Rocket Boys. Read, enjoy, then go on to the other books in the Coalwood series. They're all great page-turners and you'll never regret spending time with the people of Coalwood - the brave miners, the stalwart women, noble preachers and tough teachers of a time and place sadly gone now but oh so worthy of emulating in these days of uncertainty and economic pain.

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A Memoir about Finding Your Dream

"Rocket Boys" by Homer Hickam is his personal memoir of how he got started on his life's passion.

Our main character is the son the of the mine supervisor in Coalwood, West Virginia. Coalwood is a close-knit company town centered around the coal mine. The company provides housing, medical/dental care, education as well as employment. Homer's father is the defacto mayor of this town.

The Hickam family is dysfunctional. Homer's father is monomanically obsessed with his coal mine. Homer's mother understands and resents this. Her dream is to move to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina away from the grimy mining towns she has always lived in. The two parents fight their battle in words and silently, vicariously through their sons.

Homer called "Sonny' belongs to his mother. His older brother, Jim is more his fathers son. Sonny is the romantic dreamy type. Roy Lee is the popular best-dressed jock. The two brother despise each other and have as little to do with each other as possible.

When the story begins it is 1957, Sputnik has launched. On impulse Sonny announces he is going to build a rocket. No one takes him seriously. He's a lackluster high school student a fact his father never ceases to remind him of. But with the help of his friends and a dedicated teacher, he learns the fundamentals of rocketry. Their experiments in rocketry eventually engage the entire community.

Homer and his friends grow with their experiments as do their expectations in life. Along they way they have to deal with the problems of growing up teenagers in tough coal mining country.

This book is about young men finding themselves and rising above their circumstances.

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