Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Dell (1999), 448 pages
Description
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 tr… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member avidmom
"To get out of here, you've got to show your dad you're smarter than he thinks. I believe you can build a rocket. He doesn't. I want you to show him I'm right and he's wrong. Is that too much to ask?"
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 am a big fan of the movie, October Sky and looked forward to reading the book the movie is based
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on. As much as I was looking forward to reading Rocket Boys I wasn’t expecting it to be the great read that it turned out to be. I was a captive audience from the first paragraph. Written with a refreshing honesty, Homer Hickam Jr. writes his memoirs of his Rocket Boy days in the tiny coal mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia (population 2,000) with an amazing amount of charm and wit that made this one of those rare books that is hard to put down. Rocket Boys is the the true story of a few native sons who decide, against all odds, to do the impossible: excel in the world of science by teaching themselves how to build rockets.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!"
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LibraryThing member cjolson
I was inspired by reading this book of the power an encouraging teacher has. The determination and resourcefulness of the "Rocket Boys" is amazing. As teachers, we should never, never underestimate our students. They way the whole community came together in the end to help the boys is fantastic.
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These boys reached for the stars until they could touch them. Show Less
LibraryThing member brendajanefrank
I LOVE this book! It takes you back to the days of coal mining in West Virginia, as seen by children an their families. The hardships, adventures, and outcome of the Rocket Boys is a truly inspiratiional story that is so good it's hard to believe that it is true.
LibraryThing member bragan
Homer "Sonny" Hickam grew up in a coal mining company town in West Virginia. He was 14 in 1957 when the Soviets launched their first Sputnik satellite. Like many people, he was deeply affected by that event, but unlike most, he immediately become convinced that building rockets was what he wanted
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?
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to do with his life. He would eventually realize this dream in a career with NASA, but his path to that career started with a small group of boys and series of homemade rockets, which they built with very little knowledge but a lot of willingness to experiment.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?
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LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled." - Plutarch
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.
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
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him and his friends to start a rocket club, and in learning how to put those rockets in the air he learned physics, chemistry--and even taught himself calculus. But this is about more than rocket science--it's a love letter to his hometown: Coalwood. A company town--a coal mining town that sucked the life out of its inhabitants. But without the folk of that town, there's no way the "rocket boys" would have launched those rockets--and their dreams. Hickam dedicated the book not just to his parents but the town of Coalwood--and by the end I certainly understood why. 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.
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LibraryThing member benuathanasia
An absolutely beautiful memoir, about school, about youth, about the 50's, about unions, about the south, about America, about life. I can't imagine that this book doesn't offer at least something to even the most discerning reader. It has romance, drama, science, teenage angst, and is replete with
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.
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things going "boom!"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.
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LibraryThing member kjflaherty
I absolutely loved this book and the two that followed in the "Coalwood Series". I was transported to the small coal mining town and connected to the teenagers working to achieve their dreams. FANTASTIC READ! I recommend this book to anyone...even those who normally don't read non-fiction.
LibraryThing member AuntieClio
Before hundreds of television channels and twenty four hour radio, when calculators were slide rules and no one knew what rockets really were, Homer Hickam, Jr. was growing up in a coal mining town dreaming of ways to leave. Then Sputnik was launched and everything changed.
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.
October Sky (aka Rocket
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Boys) is the story of Homer and his friends teaching themselves, and their town, about rockets and finding a way to create a life away from the dieing coal mine in their part of Kentucky.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.
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LibraryThing member TooBusyReading
I read this as part of the Pikes Peak Library District's 2009 All Pikes Peak Reads program, having already seen the movie based on it, October Sky. The first paragraph of the book really caught my interest:
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.
Until I began to build and launch rockets, I didn't know my hometown was at war with itself
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over its children and that my parents were locked in in a kind of bloodless combat over how my brother and I would live our lives. I didn't know that if a girl broke your heart, another girl, virtuous at least in spirit, could mend it on the same night. And I didn't know that the enthalpy decrease in a converging passage could be transformed into jet kinetic energy if a divergent path was added. The other boys discovered their own truths when we built our rockets, but those were mine.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.
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LibraryThing member jschlei101
What an excellent tale! I couldn't wait to see what happened next. They certainly would not have been encouraged to experiment like that today. It was quite eye opening to see just how awful the coal industry could be for the workers and the companies that run the mines. I finally learned what a
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company town was. Show Less
LibraryThing member gooutsideandplay
What a joy this book was! I loved the movie, October Sky, but never got around to reading the book it was based on. The story of a teenage boy's love for rockets and space overlays the saga of a struggling West Virginia coal mine town in the late 1950's and early 1960's. I was particularly moved by
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the boy's success in teaching himself trigonometry and calculus --- obvious evidence that anyone can learn who is self-motivated! Last, great use of the underdog theme -- as a unsophisticated teen (too naive to lock up his precious rockets from his exhibit table at the National Science Fair -- and they are subsequently stolen) ----from West Virginia competing against sophisticated entries from New York. Wonderful themes of determination, pride and the power of a dream to overcome all obstacles. Great story!!! Show Less
LibraryThing member pinkkrosie
Dear Sonny,
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)
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
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tuned to the news and I hear something about space or rockets or anything like that, I think of you Sonny. It seems just like yesterday we were studying our math in my house. Now I bet your always building rockets for the government. You must be pretty busy.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)
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LibraryThing member lalalibrarian
I loved the movie, October Sky, and always meant to read the book. I'm so glad I did! It's a wonderful memoir about some boys growing up in a coal-mining town in the mountains of West Virginia in the 1950s right around the time Sputnik launched. They get rocket fever and with the help of half the
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town, launch their rockets as high as six miles into the sky! They teach themselves trigonometry and convince the high school to offer calculus so they can fly their rockets higher. Show Less
LibraryThing member 2techbusy
Inspirational story of determination
LibraryThing member darkeyedfish
Saw the movie first, but I picked this up during my local library book sale. I have a soft spot for anything to do with space exploration, so I really enjoyed this since it is a firsthand account.
LibraryThing member sivasothi
14-year old Homer Hickam built his own rockets in 1957 and grew up to become a NASA engineer. A vivid picture of a small, vulnerable coal-mining town, of people who nurtured dreams, the significance of hearing the Russian satellite Sputbik, the drive to improve science education in the US.
A lovely
A lovely
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account, penned with humour and affection. The movie which was pretty nice, was atually a pale shadow of the book! Show Less
LibraryThing member Doondeck
A surpisingly interesting story of coal mining and rocket science. Later made into a good movie titled "October Sky" (which is an anagram of "Rocket Boys")
LibraryThing member maryanntherese
The true story of the Rocket Boys of Coalwood, West Virginia during the Cold War.
LibraryThing member dilaycock
This is one of my favourite read-alouds in Boys & Books. Homer's story combines both humour and tragedy to create an inspirational story. While overseas recently, I visited the Science Museum in London which has quite a bit on Homer's hero - Werner Von Braun (the German scientist who invented the
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V2 rocket). Having read "Rocket Boys" (or October Sky) made the rocket exhibits so much more interesting. Show Less
LibraryThing member hailelib
This book was a real page-turner for me and the adventures of the Rocket Boys show a great deal about the way science should be done. There are also numerous details about life in the coal mining towns of West Virginia during the late fifties and into the sixties. Recommended.
LibraryThing member BoundTogetherForGood
I love a good true story. The movie, same title, is a favorite of ours too.
LibraryThing member TulsaTV
I recently requested "October Sky" from Netflix, having read that it was set in the late fifties Sputnik era. The movie delivered much more than that, though in a familiar story arc. The epilog revealed it was a true story, written by the protagonist, who was played by a young Jake Gyllenhaal. It
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.
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warranted ordering the Nook version of the book. 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.
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LibraryThing member m.belljackson
Rocket Boys was on my Save Shelves and I was looking forward to re-reading it...
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....
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....
LibraryThing member reader1009
Adult nonfiction/memoir. In six words: boy builds rockets, leaves mining town. Homer's story transports you to a different time (1950s) and place (West Virginia mining town rumored to be on the brink of collapse), where football scholarships are the most likely ticket to better places, and where
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families let squirrels run around inside their homes as pets (even if they also have dogs and cats--not sure how that works, but they do). With encouragement from his teachers and the whole town, Homer teaches himself calculus and aerodynamics and builds rockets (with 3 friends) in the hopes of winning the national science fair. Not to give away the ending or anything, but this is a feel-good story, so you can expect his endeavors to go well. Show Less
LibraryThing member tgraettinger
Really enjoyable and satisfying. I read the book after watching the movie, "October Sky", which was based on it. I thought the movie did a credible job of telling the stories of Homer and his fellow rocket boys, but the book fleshed out a lot of the details and storylines that were left untold.
Subjects
Awards
National Book Critics Circle Award (Finalist — Biography/Autobiography — 1998)
Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award (Nominee — 2001)
Alabama Author Award (Non-Fiction — 2001)
Virginia Readers' Choice (Nominee — High School — 2001)
Weatherford Award (1998)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2000)
Great Reads from Great Places (West Virginia — 2015)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1998
Physical description
6.86 inches
ISBN
9780440235507