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Summary: AN ADVENTURE WITH THE READER!
Review: OH MY! This book is amazing. I saw the movie "October Sky" and I said, "AWSOME!" so I found the book at a store and you know how they say, "The book is always better" after reaading this I am totally convinced. This book mad me feel like I was there every step of Homer Hickam Jr's. accomplisment. I felt what he felt. When I was through I literally cried I wanted his life and I got it for a whole summer. I will read this over and over and have my children read it! GET THIS BOOK! KEEP UP THE GRRRREAT WORK HOMER!
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Summary: Funny, poignant, and inspiring
Review: I have lived in Appalachia for about 25 years now, and in a coal producing area for about a year now.Rocket Boys is an inspiring story about young boys who succeeded against all odds. Much of it is funny; a lot of it is sad as well, but most of it just tells of people coping with their lot in life and doing so very well. It centers on a family which is neither ideal nor idealized, yet which functions very well amid a very hard environment. You have probably read memoirs, or seen biographies, of people who grew up in easier circumstances and families, yet which dwelt on the negative. Not this one. It's not sappy or sweet, but it's a fond remembrance. And of course, it illustrates the value of a caring, motivated teacher. All of us deserve at least one of those. For those who have seen the movie October Sky, please read this book. Same basic story, yes, but you will enjoy the differences in the characters--particularly the parents. And there are a lot of other great characters which did not make it into the movie. I visited Coalwood not long ago. It's small, but it's still there. The people I talked to were a little perturbed that none of the movie was filmed there. But they spoke highly of the book, and the welcome sign says "Welcome to Coalwood: Home of the Rocket Boys." Thanks--sincere thanks to Homer Hickham for writing this wonderful memoir of growing up in Appalachia in the 1950's and of making dreams come true.
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Summary: A Sweet Book
Review: When this book was suggested as a book club selection, I did not expect to like so much, as I am neither a rocket fan nor a boy. I am however, the mother of two sons, and I think this may have added to my enjoyment of the book. From the reviews, I expected Homer's mother to be portrayed like some sort of one-dimensional June Cleaver. On the contrary, she is smart, tough, honest, and often hard to read. The book also appealed to my interest in education. I was thrilled and intrigued by the way Sonny's learning was result-driven. This book is not a page-turner, but it is sweet and gave me a good feeling while I read it.
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Summary: An entertaining and inspirational read
Review: Anybody who had an ounce of rebellion in him as a teen will identify with Homer's tale of researching and building rockets in tiny Coalwood, West Virginia. The story rings true on so many fronts, and is entertaining, humorous, sweet and inspirational. The relationship between the boy and his father is wonderfully portrayed, as young Homer strives to make something of himself and the father struggles with doubts about his own self-worth. The rest of the characters are also rich, interesting, and real. The story can be manipulative at times, as all sentimental stories can be, but you find yourself willingly, even eagerly, allowing yourself to be manipulated. It's just that well-told. Highly recommended.
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Summary: The Best Book ive ever read!
Review: I am only 13 years old, but I know a good book when I see, and this is one!This is the best book I have ever read, hands down)or whatever that is).Its the Rocket Boy's story is just amazing. I bout it last year, after seeing the movie(great also), and i have read it 4 times since then, as has my dad. From the first paragraph it gripped me, and I could not put it down. That has only happened to me one other time,EVER! I did ever single report in English on it this year! It got me interrested in building rockets, and I starting building my own for a while.It has also inspired me to want to become an Aeronautical or Aerospace Engineer, just like Homer!I guess I could say that this book kind-of made Homer one of my heroes(he is a very nice man, I emailed him once.)Well..to sum it all up, this book is just PRODIGIOUS!I recommend everyone who wants to read an excellent book to read it!If i could give it more than 5 stars, I definitely would!Way more!
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Summary: GREAT BOOK! Keeps you reading all night!
Review: This is a great story and very exciting. The characters are described very well and throughout the book the plot keeps growing! A must read for anyone!
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Summary: Truly inspiring!
Review: For those who loved the movie "October Sky", this book gives even more insight to the life of a teenage boy in Coalwood, West Virginia, in a time where the "outside world" was concerned with the Cold War and Dr. von Braun's team with "cashing up to the Russians in rocketry." The residents in Coalwood, however, were more concerned with what was below them rather than above, and with their dominant high school football team. 14-year-old Homer Hickam, Jr. (Sonny)is aware that only football stars (like his older brother Jim)ever get college scholarships, and the glory that he and his ragtag group of friends envy. It is common knowledge that the rest must work in or for the mine in the company-owned town. However, seeing Sputnik fly in 1957 and the attempts of Dr. von Braun's missiles, Sonny is inspired to launch his own rockets. With the support from his Mom, teacher, and friends (little from his father, the manager of the mines), Sonny, Roy Lee, and Sherman form the BCMA- Big Creek Missile Agency. They are later joined by Quentin and Billy, becoming widely known throughout Coalwood as the "Rocket Boys". They suffer through many mishaps during their teenage years, but manage to pull through. Sprinkled with humor, romance, and sadness, this book tells of a boy growing up trying to earn the approval of his father, his town, and ultimately himself. Many parts will make you laugh- Mom's constant warning not to "blow yourself up", Roy Lee's advice to Sonny about his love, Dorothy, and the Rocket Boy's experience getting moonshine for rocket fuel- and ending up drunk! Other parts will make a shiver run down your spine- how Sonny had to face his bitterness after the mine accident, and his arguments with his father. I got the same tingle reading the last chapter that I got from watching the movie- which is also wonderful. I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever fought hard to accomplish a dream. It is a truly inspiring memoir that will leave anyone with a feeling of happiness, sadness, and satisfaction all rolled into one. Read "Rocket Boys"- you won't forget it.
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Summary: A Great American Memoir
Review: In 1957, inspired by the launching of Sputnik, young Homer Hickam and his friends from Coaltown, West Virginia decide to build rockets. With the help of his mother and a supportive teacher, and in spite of the strained relationship with his father and brother, Homer builds his rocket, and takes the reader along for an inspired ride. Learning that Hickam achieved his dream of working for NASA, is a testament to the determination that embodies the American spirit. As far as memoirs go, Rocket Boys is as candid and entertaining as Angela's Ashes.
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Summary: JUST INCREDIBLE!
Review: This book is memoir writing at its best. The author tells us about his boyhood in a West Virginia coal mining town, his dreams of joining the space program, and what he and his friends went through to make the dreams real. Hickam and his friends band together to launch rockets miles into the air. All the while, he has to overcome the skepticism of his conservative father, his rather loutish older brother, and the townspeople to do it. We learn later in the book that the author did wind up as an engineer with NASA, just like his hero Wernher von Braun. Memoir writing can be very difficult to pull off, especially with the premise of "a Boy and his Dream." Done poorly, the effect can be very saccharine or self involved or both. However, Hickam comes through. This book actually tells several different stories simultaneously: the tensions in the family household, the progress of the rocket experiments, the contentious clash of labor and management in the West Virginia mining country where this is set. The descriptions of the miners and mining alone make this book worthwhile. I won't say this is the best book I ever read. But it certainly was next to impossible to put down.
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Summary: Rocket Boys
Review: "Rocket Boys" This book takes place in a small town called Coalwood.Coalwood is a small mine town the whole town is built around the mine.The main character in the book is Homer.His dad work at the mine so his family leaves right by the mine. Then one day Homer hears on the radio that is up in space. He is so surprised that humans have made something that can go into space that he became obsess with rockets and space travel. The rest of the book is Homer trying to make a rocket that will fly. Homer as many problems on his road to space. The one big problem is his dad ,his dad does not want homer to build rocket he wants homer to going and work in the mines, but to find out the rest you'll have to read the book.
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