Rocket Boys (The Coalwood Series #1)

Homer "Sonny" Hickam, Jr.'s first memoir Rocket Boys is a masterpiece of American literature. Hickam's acclaimed book tells an extremely inspirational story of a young man who reaches his dream against all odds. However, what separates this memoir from the numerous other "follow your dreams" stories is its vivid, lucid language. As I was reading the story, I could actually picture what it was like living in small town America in the 1950's! I could picture his friends, the town, and all of the characters. I could feel his frustrations, problems, and relationships. Although I knew the ending to the novel straight away, I could not help but feel my emotion swaying with the ups and downs of the book. At some points, I was laughing out loud, and other made me feel as if I could shed a tear. What spurs Homer "Sonny"" Hickam throughout the memoir is the constant threat of working in the coal mines, dying young and miserable. His mother fears since he does not have the athletic ability of his older brother Jim, who is expected to receive a scholarship for college, he will never make it out of the town. However, Sonny's father hopes that he will follow in his footsteps and become the superintendent of the mine. Homer, Sr. dreams for him become smashed when Sonny watches Sputnik, the first satellite to be launched into space by the Soviets, fly overhead across the West Virginia sky in October, 1957. Sonny becomes inspired both by that first intrepid launch and by the work of Werner von Braun and the Cape Canaveral rocketry team who begin to compete for supremacy in space. Sonny soon decides to try and build his own rockets. This desire eventually morphs into in the hopes of winning the National Science Fair and receiving a scholarship for college. Sonny creates the BCMA (Big Creek Missile Agency), consisting of Quentin Wilson, Roy Lee Cooke, Sherman Siers, O'Dell Carroll, and Billy Rose. Together they use their limited recourses, and mostly self-taught education to build rockets. They make over thirty-five rockets called the Auk I-XXI. Sonny and his exhibit called "A Study of Amateur Rocketry Techniques" ultimately make it to the 1960 National Science Fair in Indianapolis, where they win first prize. That triumph proves to be their ticket to full scholarships for college and a way out of their dying coalmining town where they had expected to be working in the mines. Sonny's quest to build a rocket using his mostly self-taught education to escape the harsh coalmines will stay with you long after you stop reading. I know that throughout my life I will use Hickam's wonderfully written memoir as an inspiration. Sonny clearly demonstrates that any dream is accomplishable. At the end of the memoir, he sums up his entire experience in a simple paragraph after talking about his abandoned town, "Yet I believe for those of us who keep it in our hearts, Coalwood still lives. The miners still trudge up the old path to the tipple, and the people bustle in and out of the Big Store and gather on the church steps after Sunday services. The fences still buzz with news and gossip, and the mountains and hollows echo with the joyful clamor of childhood adventures. The halls and classrooms of the old schools still hum with the excitement of youth, and the football fields yet roar with celebration on cold fall Friday nights. Even now, Coalwood endures, and no one, nor careless industry or overzealous government, can ever completely destroy it-not while we who once lived there may recall our life among its places, or especially remember rockets that once leapt into the air, propelled not by physics but by the vibrant love of an honorable people, and the instruction of a dear teacher, and the dreams of boys." Hickam's heartfelt memoir, Rocket Boys, is an unbelievable read that proves that through lots of work, and being curious, you can make your dreams come true.

Met Homer Hickam Jr. at the August 2011 Mars Society Convention. He was a guest speaker and a retired NASA engineer. Down to earth guy...liked him immediately. So far read his Torpedo Junction and The Dinosaur Hunter books...both 5 stars. See my reviews.The Rocket Boys was a great book. Its a fast paced page burner. Read the 368 page book in 1 day. A lot of funny and serious parts. No boring parts. Look at all the reviews... well over four hundred gave the book 5 stars. Its a wonderful book and Homer INMO should of got a Pulitzer prize.Its about a teenage boy "Sonny" Homer Hickam Jr growing up in Coalwood WV in the late 50s, 1960. His father first is a foreman of a coal mine and later the superintendent of the mine. His Dad is strict but fair but a total company management man and spends most of his time managing the mine and a lot of times going into it even though he didn't have to. His Dad spent little time with his son and older, bigger HS football playing son. The brothers get into lots of fights but in the end Sonny has nothing but respect for Jim his now HS football coach, brother.We see the turn around in Sonny's life as the Russians launched Sputnik and the effect of that orbiting satellite had on the US, the small town of Coalwood, and sparking Sonny's interest in rockets, Dr. W.Von Braun, NASA, and eventually going to college and becoming a NASA rocket engineer.We see Sonny's joy when his father comes and launches the rocket club's last rocket at "Cape Coalwood". Sonny had won the gold and silver medal at the National Science Fair with the clubs Amateur Rocket presentation. To Sonny's delight his Dad praises his son and says "You did good Son". His Dad gets badly injured in the mine and later after a 65 year old mandatory retirement dies of the "Black Lung"."Sonny has a loving and understanding mom but not a softy. I developed empathy towards these real people and was saddened when Sonny's physics teacher Miss Riley, who gave Sonny so much encouragement dies of Hodgkin's Lymphoma at 32 years old.We see Sonny's early love live and his first sex conquest, or I should say her sex conquest ,as well as the girl he truely loves but never gets.We see his interest in rockets and he builds up a rocket club the town eventually supports.I won't ruin the superb ending for you. As I said I developed empathy with these real people and had a tear at the ending.This book is great with the development of true characters although some have pseudonyms. A heartwarming memoir of a teenagers life and his fulfilling his dreams of becoming a rocket engineer even though his Dad wanted him to become a mining engineer. This book has won awards and was made into a movie... October Skies. The move was rated great and I bought the DVD. I'm watching it with my family at our family night. Will review it.Rocket Boys another Homer Hickam Jr. 5 star book. Recommended, I really enjoyed it.

We got this book after we watched the movie, great book!

Terrific book !I love the relationship between Sonny and his dad ....I also love Elsier.

Un ragazzo nato in un posto dimenticato da Dio in mezzo alle montagne dove la gente ha l'unica prospettiva di morire di silicosi o incidente in una miniera di carbone, può arrivare ad addestrare astronauti alla NASA? Ad Homer Hickam è successo questo ed è narrato in "Rocket Boys", libro famoso più che altro per essere alla base di "October sky" ("Cieli di Ottobre"), film pluripremiato. E la bellezza maggiore di questo libro e di questa storia è il fatto che Homer Hickam non era affatto conscio di quanto gli stava succedendo, e gli è successo soprattutto per la determinazione della madre, della sua insegnante e dei suoi amici. Lui ci ha messo solo un po' di faccia tosta e di spericolatezza. E' stato abbastanza. E' una grande storia di come un atto di generosità e lungimiranza può cambiare il mondo.

Excellent book. Very inspiring

This is by far the best autobiography I have ever read. It's not just the story of Homer Hickam, it's the story of Coalwood and the adventures of six aspiring boys.