Rocket Boys

Rating:
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.

Rating:
Summary: Ocktober Sky
Review: Homer Hickam, Jr.'s memoir, October Sky, is a compelling story of how one child, with the right encouragement, can fulfill a dream that can ultimately take him beyond the limitations of his situation. On October 5 1957, the date that Sputnik raced across the Appalachian sky, Homer "Sonny" Hickam, a fourteen year old living in Coalwood, West Virginia, began to nurture his own thoughts of designing and launching rockets into outer space. His lofty dream, inspired by rocket scientist Werner von Braun, would ultimately launch Homer beyond the limitations of a pre determined future in the coal pits of his small mining town, and into NASA and a fulfilling career as a rocket scientist.
October Sky, originally published in 1998, under the title Rocket Boys, is a heartwarming, well-written story that readers young and old will enjoy. Homer Hickam, the son of the mine's superintendent and a patient, encouraging mother, gives the reader a first hand look into his dying community, the relationships that shaped his life and the obstacles he had to overcome in order to reach the stars. His mother, instrumental in bringing her son's visions to fruition, allows Homer and his friends to use the Hickam basement, as well the kitchen, to mix their chemical compounds. Despite the loss of several sets of pots and pans, the backyard fence and the house's hot water heater, Homer's mother endures and with the help of Homer's science teacher, encourages the efforts of the boys and their Big Creek Missile Agency. Hickam writes candidly about the volatile relationship between his parents and the contrast in their visions for their son's future. As opposed to his mother, Hickam's father, a dedicated company man, was unable to recognize the dismal future facing his town. At the same time, he did not believe that Homer had any chance of achieving his dreams, because no one had ever left the town without earning a football scholarship as a ticket out. Hickam's depiction of is efforts to win the respect of his father is touching and memorable. This effort climaxes in the following passage.
"Tag opened a path through the crowd, and there stood Dad in his work clothes. Roy Lee went after him, escorted him out on the slack. I heard Roy Lee say, "Come and help Hickam." "You don't need my help," Dad said. "I just came to watch." All the boys protested. "No sir, you can help all you want." "Whatever you want to do, sir, you go ahead and do it." I stood up, brushing the slack off my jeans. "A rocket won't fly unless somebody lights the fuse," I said. "Come on." Dad entered the blockhouse, and I directed him to the firing panel after checking the connections. "This one's yours, Dad, if you want it." There was no mistaking the pure delight I saw spread across his face as he knelt in front of the panel. Roy Lee called from the back door. "Whenever you're ready," he said. I counted down to zero and dad turned the switch."
Hickam writes about his determination to break the generational barriers that surround him in an emotional and inspiring fashion. His depiction of the hurdles the boys overcame in order to enter and ultimately win the National Science Fair in 1960 is both humorous and touching. The trials and tribulations of working towards building the perfect rocket are intertwined with the challenges of coming of age.
October Sky is a story of a young boy looking for a life beyond what his community can provide. It is written with vivid detail and a historical accuracy that will capture the most discerning reader. In a story telling manner, rich in language, Hickam has written a masterpiece of hope, love and accomplishment.


Rating:
Summary: 3,2,1 Lift Off
Review: The book Rocket Boys was a very exciting and wonderful book. It can bring a tear to your eye. It is a true story about a young boy named Homer H. Hickam Jr. Who has higher hopes and dreams then just working in a coal mine. He lives in a small town in West Virginia. He becomes interested in rockets when he sees one soaring through the night sky. He dreams of one day building a rocket and sending it roaring through the sky. For a chance at leaving and going off to college he enters a science fair. Sonny's father doesn't believe in him and wants so bad to prove to his father that there are better things out there for him then mining.

Hopefully he will be able to go off to college and find a wonderful job. But the only way you can find out how this story ends is if you read it. This is an inspiring book. This is a book that you won't be able to put down. Rocket Boys is one of the best books I have read and I hope everyone who reads it will enjoy it as much as I did.


Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: Coalwood, Virginia was only known for its mining and football. Just imagine how hard it would be if you wanted to build rocket ships. Homer Hickman Jr. and his four best friends share their journies and stories on what they did to accomplish their dreams.Building a perfect rocket ship by using eqautions, mixing formulas, and doing many test runs.
Homer and his friends not only show the people of the town that there is more than football and mining but show hope to the people and for generations to come.Troughout the story you watch the struggling relationship between father and son and how they grow to understand eachother. Overall this book is outstanding, and I would recommend it for all ages.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: The story October Sky is one of the best I have ever read. It is the true story about a boy called Homer H. Hickam Jr. and his friends who make up the BCMA (Big Creek Missile Agency). It is a great story about a coal mining town in West Virginia and all the struggle it entails. This book focuses on the post Sputnik time in America when schools were harder on students because they didn't want the Russians to get any farther ahead then they already were. It tells of the stories and tribulations that a young man has to face when all the odds are stacked against him and his friends.
This book amazed me with he amount of facts it had and how specific it was. It is a great book and I highly recommend it to anyone. It is educational and it makes you never want to put it down. Positively one of the best books that I have ever read in my life. If could give it more then a five start rating then I most certainly would.

Rating:
Summary: Inspiring...
Review: Rocket Boys is an inspiring memoir about a young man, Homer "Sonny" Hickam. This book describes his life in the small mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia. This town is set far back into the mountains and is company owned. Everything in town revolves around the mine and of course, the winning high school football team. Sonny's father holds a prominent position at the mine and Sonny's mother outwardly hates the mine. Sonny's mother warns him that one day Coalwood will die and that he must not just settle for becoming a miner. She encourages him to build rockets because she believes this to be his only way out of Coalwood. Rocket Boys is an amazing story of a boy trying to achieve his dream.

When hearing about the Russian launch of Sputnik on the radio, Sonny decides that this is what he must do in life. With the help of his childhood pals, Roy Lee, O'dell, Sherman, and Billy, and some adults in town Sonny starts a missile agency, which they name the BCMA (Big Creek Missile Agency). Caught up in the changing times the boys realize that they can become more than miners if they succeed. In able to succeed the boys realize that they must research rockets and also get the material. Sonny gets the help of a nerdy boy in school, Quentin. Together they discover the basics of rocketry. The boys experiment with their rockets up at their shooting range, Cape Coalwood. The "Rocket Boys" change things such as the rocket fuel all the way to the particular size of the nozzle. The boys had accomplished a lot, however they could not find a book about the details of rocketry anywhere. With the help of their chemistry teacher, Ms. Riley, they are able to obtain a book, The Principles of Guided Missile Design and compete in the national science fair. After graduation, the "Rocket Boys" do one last launch of their rockets. The entire town shows up to watch and Sonny's dad , finally approving, says "beautiful!, beautiful!" as the rocket flies 6 miles into the sky.

Rocket Boys is a touching story about a group of friends working towards a common dream. These boys grew up in a small mining town and all they believed they would become in life was a miner. This book showed me that you can accomplish anything if you want it bad enough. The boys wanted a future; they wanted to get out of Coalwood. All the boys were able to get out of Coalwood and Sonny even accomplished his dream of working with NASA at Cape Canaveral. All the "rocket boys" accomplished their dream and this is what is so inspiring about this book. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a great inspiring book.


Rating:
Summary: A real page turner-can't just put it down
Review: The comparison of novels to their film versions is definitely not a new topic. The question is often posed, which was better, the book of the movie? More often than not, the better of the two is the written version. Once again, this holds true to form with Homer H. Hickam, Jr.'s "Rocket Boys" and the later produced motion picture based on his story, "October Sky".

Set in the late 1950's and early 1960's, this critically acclaimed novel delves into the trials and tribulations of life in the small mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia. Being a company owned town, the main focus of its people was mining, along with the absolute success of their local high-school football team. The plot of t his story, which is actually a memoir, is based around the hopes and dreams of six boys, Sonny (Homer Hickam Jr. himself), Roy Lee, O'Dell, Quentin, Sherman, and Billy, to follow close behind their hero Werner von Braun of the Cape Canaveral crew of scientists. Inspired and encouraged by the space race going on in the world at the time and specifically the launch of Sputnik by the Soviets, the boys yearn to teach themselves how to build and successfully launch a rocket into orbit, or just outer space. The problem was, however, that in a town such as Coalwood, educational advances weren't exactly welcomed with open arms. It wasn't very often that a person actually made something of themselves and were able to leave the town, unless they left for something such as joining the military. The boys faced many challenges throughout their work before reaching the success that they desired, winning the national science fair. Everything that they found out about rockets, they had to teach to themselves. For example they learned trigonometry from and old book they found and even formed a calculus class in their school for themselves.

Though Hickam's memoir is basically about the working for and fulfillment of hard-earned dreams in a very unlikely environment, there is also a strong focus on the change of the times during this era. Some of the changes that occur are the focus of the education system in the United States, the relationship between Sonny and his father, the mindset of an entire town, and the physical changes to a specific economy based town as the need for its goods declines. Education became much stricter, focused, and fast paced in order to try and catch up with students in the Soviet Union. This was a result of the space race going on throughout the world. Americans felt that their children were falling behind the Soviets academically and needed to catch up

I definitely highly recommend reading this novel in the future, as well as watching the movie. Its enthralling life lessons and views into a very different way of life than we live in keeps you turning the pages, unable to put it down. It teaches you to work for your dreams and never forget them, to reach for the sky and never stop until you reach that goal. Always remember and carry with you that "sometimes one dream is enough to light up the whole sky"


Rating:
Summary: Homer and the Rocket Boys
Review: Homer Hickam's true story of his struggle through life is presented throughout the novel in which he wrote named October Sky. This story of his life and childhood is an extremely inspirational and encouraging tale for those who dream. Homer was determine to prove to his dad that mining was not the only way to succeed in life and make a living. Along with his mom, his friends, and his dedicated teacher, Homer decided to design and build his own rockets in 1957. He stayed persistent with his inventions and grew up to be a NASA engineer. This is an uplifting, heartwarming book that shows hard work and believing in yourself really will pay off.

October Sky is a fairly short novel filled with drama. It fits those who enjoy romance, those who enjoy the foolishness of teenagers, and those who respect sciences. It's a great book for all ages to read and enjoy. Although the novel is short it teaches many affordable life lessons and I highly recommend opening this book!