Rating: 
Summary: Gentle, evocative, loving
Review: Homer Hickam has done it again, writing a worthy successor to his "Rocket Boys". We return to his West Virginia coal town where we meet the characters of his first book, and some new ones as well, all skillfully drawn. Tragedy and comedy are woven together, tears and laughter intermingle as the townspeople draw us into this gentle, somewhat sentimental portrayal of "company town" life. Hickam's own journey into self-aware adulthood is an underlying theme. Like the high school girls in his tale, many women readers will find themselves falling in love with its author!
Rating:
Summary: Tremendous!
Review: Another excellent read from Homer Hickam! I can never truly know what it was like to grow up in Coalwood and to understand this small mining community's ways. But, for a brief time while reading this book I felt as if I had lived there, felt the turmoil, confusion, bitterness, love and happiness Mr. Hickam writes about. Homer Hickam does an excellent job of painting pictures with words.
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Summary: Magical
Review: I just finished reading The Coalwood Way and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a magical book that really touches your heart. I loved it because I got to see a way of life that I will never experience. Hickam has done it again. Thank you for sharing your memories with us.
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Summary: An Equal, Not a Sequel to Rocket Boys
Review: Homer Hickam's easy writing style and touching childhood remembrances take those of us who read Rocket Boys/October Sky back to Coalwood, West Virginia. Unlike many authors, Hickam's sequel equals the continuity and warmth of the prior volume. A well-written an entertaining memoir.
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Summary: The story continues...and gets better
Review: Homer Hickam has found his niche in Coalwood, as a member of the Big Creek Missile Agency, the Rocket Boys as they are known. Now a high school senior, he has come more into his own, his older brother Jim, away at college on a football scholarship. With only Homer and his parents at home, the subtle tensions of their lives take on more energy. Homer's mom, a dreamer like him, has to come to terms with small town life, being a company man's wife,and her unfulfilled dreams . His father, the mine superintendent, has to learn new mining techniques, deal with the union dissention and find some common ground with his son, who has absolutely no interest in mining. Jim discovers that college life is more challenging than high school. The mining company is leaning on the superintendent to make cuts, and Coalwood and the neighboring areas are suffering financial hardships like never before. In the midst of this all, Homer continues his quest to build a better rocket, and to some day make it to Cape Canaveral. But he and his friends also deal with the every day trivals of growing up, family disappointments, girls, the realization of both the good and bead people can do to each other, and the doubts that lie within. This is a sequel that is the equal of the first book...a delight to read. I hope there are more books to follow.
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Summary: Homer did it again!
Review: I bought this book and got it autographed a few weeks ago in Charleston, West Virginia. I didn't expect this author to come up with anything nearly as good as Rocket Boys, but he has. He really has. I can't wait for the next one. A fellow West Virginian.
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Summary: Getting to know Sonny Hickam and the Rocket Boys.
Review: The continuation of the Rocket Boys story kept me reading with much delight. The additions to the first book help the reader to get to know Sonny and the rest of the Rocket Boys on a deeper level. Homer Hickam shares his life experiences with inspiratation and great sense of humor.
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Summary: A great holiday read
Review: I strongly recommend this book for anyone who might be feeling sad or down on their luck. It is filled with insights that just make you smile and nod. My favorite: It's better to confess ignorance than to provide it. I told my boss that and he laughed and put it up on his partition. The book keeps building on events but it all leads up to Christmas Eve and the pageant so it's a great holiday read, too. Homer's writing is magical. The Coalwood Way is his holiday gift to all his fans.
Rating:
Summary: A delicious read!
Review: The Coalwood Way was delicious. I read it in a day. A glorious read, great characters, wonderful plot, laugh-out-loud places, others brought tears. I recommend it especially for Christmas shoppers - for that guy or gal you know that might need cheering up. This book will do it.
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Summary: Coalwood Way- America's Story
Review: When I started Coalwood Way, I thought, "These are the same characters as those in OCTOBER SKY; how can I love them more? What more can I learn about them that will make this book enjoyable?" Opening the book on a Saturday night, I could not put it down until I finished on Sunday. I watched Homer's "problems list" closely and felt as if I were right there in his troubled heart and pulled for him to solve the mystery- perhaps allowing me to solve mine. I listened to the credit he gave his father, although Homer Jr. felt as if he couldn't do enough, let alone good enough, for Homer Sr. and win his approval. Homer has done a wonderful job in exploring the age-old struggle between children and parents. He explores the parent-child, teacher-student, friend-friend, and self-self relationships by delving more deeply into the souls of each, even exposing us to the idea that the heavens indeed hold much more than we will ever understand. And it all is done with great humor! Homer's childhood friend, the preacher, was right-on when he said we are being shaped on God's wheel. We just have to believe in what we're doing. This book is a declaration for working families and an exaltation for all of us who are striving to become something for which we have a passion. I am awaiting another book by Homer Hickam with great anticipation. Cheryl
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