Rocket Boys (The Coalwood Series #1)

I decided to pick up Rocket Boys after seeing "October Sky" with my son. October Sky, (OS) is one of the movies that was included as part of a tradition my son and I had started when he was a youngin', and still continuing today. October Sky is what I refer to as a "Dad" movie, or any movie that was either about, or included a sub plot that reflected a relationship between a father and his son. Anyone that has seen OS knows that this wonderful movie very much accomplishes that prerequisite. Other examples over the years included "Field of Dreams", "Road To Perdition" and "The Fighting Sullivans". Although my son is all grown up now, we still try to get together on occasion whenever a new Dad movie either comes along, or is discovered. I really don't expect him to make a point in his life anymore to seek out and secure every one there is available. I am happy that he at least remembers it, and joins me on watching one with me every once in a while. Reading any book together that inspired the Dad movies has not ever been part of the tradition, (that one is mine alone). And Rocket Boys (RB) is no exception. I bought RB after seeing OS, for I was very much interested in seeing just what liberties were taken with the theatrical version. Not only that, but I was also so fascinated with this truly amazing real life story, that I couldn't wait to read all the furthur details of Homer Hickam and the rocket boys life and times. I really do not want this to be just another review where I talk about Hickam's writing style, his portrayal of characters, or the differences between his book, and the movie. Let it suffice that if you loved OS and just felt at the end of it that you wished it could have just continued on a while longer, than Rocket Boys is something you should definitely take the time to read. Basically it follows the movie very well, except like any book that inspires a movie version, there is a tremendous amount of more, and greater detail about everything. Hickam's home life, the relationship with his brother, and girls, his trials and tribulations with designing and building his rocket, along with the true story of his trip to the science fair finals. If everything that is in the book was included in the movie, it would have been at least twice as long as it was. Which for those of us that loved the movie, would have been just fine. If you are someone that is fortunate enough to have a tradition such as mine, or are just someone that loved October Sky for just the wonderful, heart warming, intricate portrayal that it was, I urge you to pick up a copy of Rocket Boys. The last thing this true story is, is one of those books that is so different from the movie that you will find yourself disappointed. It will not in any way portray anything that you are not already familiar with, transport you to a different place, or introduce you to any new characters that will leave you abandoned from what the movies visuals instilled in you. It is basically October Sky, the complete story. Highly recommended...

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.

Homer Hadley Hickam. Junior. If ever there was a name that suggested either a captain of industry or a boy steeped in science, this is it. A little of both, I'd say. The story starts in a West Virginia town named Coalwood, and takes the reader into the home of the Hickams. All the elements of a good story are found within. The time period is set early on - a 50's nuclear family in a mining town; dad has modern day problems - he must be available to the mine around the clock. Mom dreams of a life far from Coalwood along a beach in North Carolina as witnessed by her ongoing painting of a seaside landscape. I was touched by the the mother's resolve to get through her day to day in Coalwood, in part because of the view she'd created for herself in her artwork. Brilliant. As described by the author, she's a strong woman determined to raise and prepare her sons to get a good education and a job that doesn't involve the brutal realities of mining. Two adolescent boys vie for their father's attention; one son's the high school football star,Jim, who's assured he has his father's solid interest, while the younger son, a kid swept up by rocket science, rarely captures his father's attention. The end of the story was made more satisfying because, after trying time and again to gain his father's interest,Sonny,finally does so as he's approache- ing his college years and his father's pushing towards the end of his career at the mines. The family dynamic - scrappy and straightforward, had universal themes for the reader to consider and Sonny's spirit had me cheering as he worked hard to improve his rocket-launches, built his boyhood friendships in a team of sorts, and made connections with scientists and educators beyond the world he knew well in Coalwood. I found Sonny a fearless, strong leader of his intrepid "rocket boys" who kept at his dreams even though, as a group and as individuals,they suffered failures along the way, both personal and professional - the science fair was a huge opportunity for them. Hickam played the right notes when describing the high school scene; the students drowsy morning starts along a harrowing route, the tippy toeing around the girl/boy interests, the fights that surfaced between brothers and players, and the studied, thoughtful way the young boys applied themselves to making rockets that actually flew. It's a riveting story with opening scenes focused on the family, good tension builds as Homer (Sonny) keeps at his project while navigating high school life and in the end, it was gratifying to discover that the old adage, "hard work pays off" served the Big Creek Missile Agency (BCMA) delivering the attention and accolades they deserved. Homer Hadley Hickam, Jr. triumphed in the end and the reader soars right along with those rockets. rocket-building

If you want to learn about the coal industry --- read this book. While coal mining is the back story, it is also one of the most vivid descriptions of what coal mining was really like -- and how it really disappeared -- told in story form. Little did I know that this information would be helpful given what is going on with our government and the coal industry today. A great read in terms of that and a pretty good darn read in terms of everything else. While I found it predictable in the telling in places (which is why I didn't give it 5 stars), it's a decent story with good pacing and some degree of insight. Nothing "literary" but good anyway. BTW, I would recommend it to any boy or girl who can read/understand it. It's a good slice of history and a good modeling of what it sticking to your goals and making 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.

As the first book of his "Coalwood Series", Author Homer Hickham garners this non-fiction book a "galaxy" rating, as it is easily the best book I have read in 2009. I intend to share it with my 14-year old son, who dreams of being a rocket engineer someday. Set in the tiny town of Coalwood, West Virginia, (1957 - 1960) Homer Hadley Hickham suddenly discovers at age 15 that there is a whole world outside of the isolated Coalwood when he views the mysterious Russian satellite, Sputnik, pass overhead one night. The idea that the Russians could put a satellite in space inspires young Hickham to think beyond working in the Coalwood coal mine, as his father has planned for him. Encouraged by his science teacher and his wonderfuly free-thinking mother, Homer begins to build home-made rockets for the grandiose goal of someday working with the great German Scientist, Wehrner Von Braun, who leads the American space effort. This is a most engaging and charming book. It captures the heart and soul of a teen-aged boy who has great plans, but has virtually no one to guide or help him achieve his dream. Despite daunting odds and obstacles, Homer gathers some like-thinking friends and they begin the Coalwood Rocket Club. The boys have absolutely no idea how to build or fuel a rocket, so they enlist the help of the high school math and science geek, who consistently guides the rocket boys in the right direction. Yet even the addition of a math genius is not enough, for materials for rockets are scarce. Homer enlists workers from the Coalwood mine to help him obtain the raw materials to build his rockets. The miners readily pitch in to help, but Homer's father, the mine foreman, strongly and disdainly discourages Homer from pursuing his dream, and instead tries to steer Homer to become a mine engineer, like himself. The central conflict becomes the straining tension between a father's practical expectations for his son, and the son's expnsive dreams of space flight. Is this not a universal conflict between all boys and their father's expectations? Over the course of approximately 3 years, Homer and his rocket boys launch over 35 rockets, learning lessons from their failures as well as their successes. Along the way, Homer tenderly relates his experiences and thoughts as he makes his way through the tumultuous high school years: girls, girlfriends, sex, school dances, poverty, envy, jealousy, complex family relations, labor-union conflicts, and so much more. While rocket building is the framework for this book, the lessons and experiences of growing up in Coalwood fill out the framework in a very satisfying manner. Anyone growing up in the fifties or sixties will be instantly transported back in time to their own teenage years, for Homer's story is the story of the American Dream. The book hooks you early on as every good book should, and then holds your interest to the very last page. I am already looking forward to devouring the remaining books in the Coalwood series. Homer Hickham blasts off this first book and achieves a successful orbit that will keep you enthralled from start to finish. A great book, and most highly recommended. Konedog

The setting for 'Rocket Boys' is described so illustratively, that the little town of Coalwood becomes almost as vibrant and alive as a character in the book. The same can be said for the town's coal mine, which also seems to have been scribed into its own living entity, detached from the town where it resides; as Mrs. Homer Hickam even jokingly calls it her 'husband's mistress,' 'Miss Olga.' The mine seems to haunt the residents of Coalwood; they can't even escape from it when they come home to their beds: "Clouds of coal dust rose from the open cars, invading everything, seeping through windows and creeping under doors. Throughout my childhood, when I raised my blanket in the morning, I saw a black, sparkling powder float off it. "--Sonny Hickam In 'Rocket Boys,' everyone seems to have their own different, sometimes evolving, relationship with the town of Coalwood. Some think of it as a protector that provides for them, while others see it as an enemy that they must escape from. Many just think of the town as safe and familiar. Some outsiders perhaps see Coalwood as small, lifeless, and uneducated; perhaps even non-existent. Elsie Hickam obviously sees Coalwood as the enemy, and her son 'Sonny' Homer Hickam as its next potential victim. At first, Sonny looks at the town as an extended family member. As you read on, you begin to feel like this isn't a town being described, but an iron-willed elder on its last legs, fighting to breathe, as many other small-towns across the county, or even the world, could similarly be personified: "Coalwood's going to die. " she announced. "deader than a hammer. " '"You can't count on the mine being here when you graduate from high school. Sonny. You can't even count on this town being here. Look at the kids at Big Creek from Berwind. Bartley. Cucumber. . . . Their fathers are out of work. and those towns are just falling down around them. It's the economy and it's the easy coal playing out and it's . . . I don't know what all it is. but I've got sense enough to know it's just a matter of time before the same thing happens here in Coalwood too. You need to do everything you can to get out of here, starting right now."-- Elsie Hickam One part that I found particularly keynote to the story was Sonny's reaction to his mother's prediction for the future of Coalwood: "Then I remembered what Mom had said about Coalwood dying. That was the hardest thing to understand of all the things she had told me. All around me, Coalwood was always busily playing its industrial symphony of rumbling coal ears, spouting locomotives, the tromping of the miners going to and from the mine. How could that ever end?" Coalwood was a town so isolated, that it made the neighboring towns look like foreign countries. So, when Sonny saw the Russian satellite Sputnik soaring over Coalwood, it was as if he saw himself being carried across that sky along with it. What role would 'Coalwood' take in Sonny Hickam's life: A protector, an enemy, or perhaps...a source of inspiration?

I bought two copies of this book; the first one I bought as a gift, and received such enthusiastic feedback that I bought a copy for myself. This is the author's own story of his youth in West Virginia and how, with help and encouragement from his mother, a kind teacher, and interested neighbors, he is able to attain his dreams of building rockets, as he has been inspired to do by the launch of Sputnik and the early space race. I loved the humanity of this book, descriptions of his family members and friends, as he recounts events in his small WV town in the 1960's. Mr Hickam has a lot to say, through the events of his youth, about the mining industry at that time, the company towns, and especially about his mother, who is determined that her children will leave the mountains for the big world that is waiting for them, as she dreams and plans her own escape to a life in Virginia Beach. It is a story about a son's relationship to his father, while he pursues his own dreams. It is also a story about the "soft tyranny of low expectations", in a town and school where a young man is not expected to do any better than his father before him, unless he joins the army, or his ability earns him a sport scholarship to a state college. Fortunately, for him and for us, who are able to enjoy his books, Homer Hickam realized his dreams.