Rating: 
Summary: Overcoming the Odds
Review: This reminded me why I became an aerospace engineer. Remembering the passions of youth and dreams comes alive in this book as you find yourself becoming one of the boys. Mr. Hickam does a masterful job a revealing what has driven man to take to the skies and reach for more. The problems of real life and the struggle to overcome should be an example to any youth brave enough to dream for more.
Rating:
Summary: dreams and hard work....
Review: This book was a joy to read. It gave such a clear picture of the world in that moment in time. It would have been a great read even if every word had been total fiction. That this was a real story of young men chasing their dreams, working hard and reaching literally for the stars made it truely wonderful. Growing up in West Virginia made it closer to my heart. Being in a military family helped me to see the "company town" line of thought. As always this was so much better than the movie! Everyone who has borrowed this has loved it!
Rating: 
Summary: An Awesome Book with a Great Theme
Review: Imagine it's the 1950's and you are growing up in a small town. When you get older, you know you are destined to be a coal miner. No one lets you forget that. But you have other plans, other dreams. You want to travel to Cape Canaveral, in Florida to work for NASA. The only chance you have is to go to college and get a scholarship because money is scarce. You have to find some way to fulfill your dream, and the odds are against you. In the book, October Sky, that is what happened to Homer Hickam and his friends. This is a very wholesome book and gives you a good feeling after reading it. October Sky has a powerful theme throughout the story- If you believe and work hard, your dreams and wishes will come true no matter how many obstacles. Find a way to get over them. I think the best part of the book is when the 'Rocket Boys', Homer (also known as Sonny in the book), Billy, Roy Lee, O'Dell, and Sherman never give up. When most of their rockets explode and fail, they keep trying. The boys show that hard work and belief are the most important things in life. I also likes the setting of this story- a small town with big dreams. The characters in the town of Coalwood have a sense of duty when something terrible happens at the Science Fair. They band together to help Homer face the final obstacle to his sucess. October Sky is believable, and I liked how the author wrote it about himself. There were a few things I didn't like about the book, though not many. Sometimes it went into too much detail about mining, rocketry, and math terms that I didn't understand. In spite of that, I gave this book five out of five stars. October Sky is my all time favorite book. I would recommend the book October Sky to anyone fifth grade and older. This is because it is a long book and and takes a while to read. Some of it would be confusing for anyone younger, but it is a great book overall. It lifts your spirits and makes you realize that even a seeminly impossible dream sometimes comes true.
Rating:
Summary: Rocket Boys
Review: Rocket Boys is definitely a page-turner that I read within a week. The stories of Homer's adolescence are described so vividly that you begin to picture yourself in his place. The title is misleading because it does not just deal with the rockets that he designed but also life and the hardships that he stumbled upon while struggling through high school. This book will be enjoyed by people of all ages whether they have interest in rocket technology or not. The events of his life will touch your heart, make you laugh, and bring you a sense of nostalgia. From the early romances to triumph over the odds, you will be mesmerized by this inspirational book. I am only 13 years old and recommend this book to all who seek a memoir with compelling events in a distinguished man, Homer Hickam.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book
Review: I just finished reading the book, after watching the movie. It was a wonderful book, very interesting, and it was a book that I couldn't put down. Its a great book for anyone who likes rockets or for anyone in general.
Rating:
Summary: I want to read more!
Review: A note to Homer Hickam..... more about Coalwood, your family, rockets, anything, please. Your writing is fantastic. Rocket Boys will stay with me forever along with Daisy Mae and Chipper. What happened to Chipper? I plan to read everything you write.
Rating:
Summary: Living in WV
Review: What a fantastic account of success in a economically depressed area and a son's desire to win his father's admiration.This is a book that is difficult to put down. It makes me doubt that I could have succeeded given the same circumstances. My only complaint is that it would have been helpful to know more about life after Coalwood for the boys that became engineers. I was left wanting more details.
Rating:
Summary: A Book deserving more than 5 stars
Review: The only reason I read this book was because I saw the movie and loved it. The book was so much better though and totally deserves more than 5 stars. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who saw the movie, and liked it, or maybe grew up in a coal-mining town and felt like reading this book. Take my word for it: it's great
Rating:
Summary: October Sky
Review: This book October Sky is definitely a 5 star, two thumbs up book. It is a memoir about a kid who wants to become someone other than a coal miner. He also is determined to show his dad that he can be something. All his childhood, he grew up hearing about his "All Star" football playing brother, and that's all his dad talks about. He feels as if he isn't even there sometimes. It teaches the reader to never give up, no matter what the problem or circumstance. That's what the main character did. He was so determined to solve this problem, that he almost blew himself up trying. But he didn't stop there. It tells people that not all families are perfect, no matter how hard they try. He has to prove to his dad. He does this by building rockets and going to work for NASA. At the end, his dad realizes that he can be someone after he shows the town that there's more to the town than coal mining. This book is one of the best, if not the greatest books out there.
Rating:
Summary: Rocket Boys and Creeker: What a pair!
Review: Technically, I was not "raised" in Appalachia, but my Mama and Daddy left the hills when I was a baby and brought us to Columbus. Though I grew up in an Ohio city, my fondest memories are of summers at my granny's house near the Kentucky & West Virginia border. That was a long time ago and I had just about lost those years when I discovered the new book Creeker, written by a woman who grew up in Eastern Kentucky but has traveled far since then. I genuinely loved that book. When I went to Amazon to review it, I noticed someone had compared it to Rocket Boys, a book I had bought and stacked on my "to read" pile last summer. Well, I picked it up and couldn't put it down. Like Creeker, Rocket Boys has that feeling of unlimited possibility that so many of us lose somewhere around puberty. These two authors from Appalachia seem to have incorporated the very best of the hills into their lives and careers. Thanks Amazon! Without your reviews I might have allowed Rocket Boys to lie on the "to read" shelf forever.
|
