 "Charming and inspirational" | 2008-09-18 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3P27P5KI1ZRJ7 |
| Loved this book. Was on the last chapter when I threw October Sky into my Netflix queue; Hoping I'd have it in hand when the book was finished. Timing was perfect. As usual, the book eclipses the movie, but both are great. Passing it onto my 10 year old son who already has aspirations of going into the sciences. Enjoy! |
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 "school project" | 2008-07-06 |
| - Reviewed By dreier33 |
| Was purchased due to a requirement by my childs school. He has informed me it is a good book. |
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| "Amazing True Story" | 2008-05-09 |
| - Reviewed By spirit527 |
Homer Hickam grew up in a rural isolated mountain town but went on to win the National Science Fair.
This book is his story and how he was successful.
I bought 24 copies of this book to inspire my advanced 6th grade Reading class. They loved the book. In our discussions they mentioned never giving up. Homer and his friends kept trying until they had success.
Thank you for sharing your life with us, Mr. Hickam. |
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 "Rockets in West Virginia" | 2008-03-16 |
| - Reviewed By User: A31MFQKGUNY7E4 |
... "On June 4, 1960, the Big Creek Missile Agency, fresh from its medal winning performance at the National Science Fair, is sponsoring a day of rocket launches at its Cape Coalwood range. Everyone reading these words is invited..." This quote can be found on page 356-357 of a book called Rocket Boys; this statement showed me that the success of the main characters was a result of personal hard work and teamwork.
"Rocket Boys" by Homer H. Hickam, Jr. is a nonfiction account of a group of friends from Coalwood, West Virginia in the early 1960's who have a fetish for making rockets. Homer and his friends have a dream to shoot a rocket up into the clouds. This story gives the reader a message that dreams really can come true.
Rocket Boys is one of the strongest books I have ever read. The author accomplished his goals to tell people that team work is one of the most important things to know in your life. This book is recommended for people that like space and rockets and who want a hopeful book to read. Reading Rocket Boys really gets you thinking about team work and how far you can get with it.
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| "Great Story" | 2008-03-13 |
| - Reviewed By cdbn |
| I was a little disappointed by the ending and the fact that Homer Hickam gave John Kennedy the idea to go to the Moon but other than that I couldn't help but root for the band of misfits. |
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| "Countdown to Adventure!" | 2008-03-11 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1MVUGILM6U1AK |
I bought this book and the audio tapes and my son and I listened and read this amazing book together. Our plan was to read for 30 minutes a night...however it was sooooooo good we listened and read for 5 hours!
We are now going to rent the movie that was made from the film! All systems go....we enjoyed the adventure! |
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| "A great book with perfectly timed humor and emotion." | 2008-02-26 |
| - Reviewed By privatjokr |
Children in West Virginia mining towns became coal miners. They did not become rocket scientists. But it did not matter how well-known this was, for Homer "Sonny" Hickam, Jr. there was only one way out. He was the right age and had the right amount of ambition when the United States and Russia became entangled in the Space Race and as far as he was concerned, his fate was sealed.
Hickam's writing carried the comfort of conversation with an old friend. It was remarkable how easily I became nostalgic for neither a time nor a place that I had ever known. The story drips with the passion of a man who if he had to do it all over again, probably wouldn't change a thing. He understood and appreciated the importance of everything that happened to him and helped him on his way.
One thing that I found particularly fascinating was how closely this book resembled the old proverb that It takes a whole village to raise a child. And I mean no disrespect to Mr. Hickam when I point out how amazing his circumstance was in that he could not have done it alone. The stars seemingly aligned perfectly so that one boy from West Virginia could capture the hearts of so many people that he would be able to get such invaluable assistance. There was probably no way anyone else could have done what he did. And that is to his credit. (The way his path was guided by fate, or something like it, reminded me of how Ruth Reichl became a food critic in Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table.)
I loved this book for Hickam's ability to transport me from my favorite reading chair to a West Virginia high school in the late 50s. I found myself hanging on every word wondering what would happen next. There is something special about an intelligently written story about a successful man who takes no credit for himself, but rather gives it to each person who helped him make his dreams come true. Rocket Boys may now find itself among the short list of my favorite books.
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| "What a great book......" | 2008-02-22 |
| - Reviewed By philparshall |
| Just finished this book at 3:00am last night and the only negative comment I have is "why did it have to end?". I saw October Sky a few years ago and it was an exceptional movie - don't make the rash judgment I almost made in thinking that the book would probably not be be better than the movie because it is much, much better. It has only been a day since I've finished it but I'm still warmed by it and would have to put in into my top 10 all time greatest books. I was born in 1949 in a small upstate NY town and lived the fear generated by Sputnik. I think Homer would agree with me that, as tough as it was growing up then, it was the closest thing to heaven on earth as one could be. Wish I could go back. |
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| "Now This is a Great Book" | 2008-01-05 |
| - Reviewed By fasulos |
| I loved this story about boys from a West Virginia coal mining town who decide to join the space race after the Russian launching of sputnik sparks their imaginations. Hickam artfully portrays a great cast of characters in the small town of Coalwood as the boys go from being the town nuisance to its pride and joy. This is not a sleepy little town, mining troubles, family drama, school issues and exploding rockets keep the interest level high throughout. Even a bus ride to school is eventful in this page turning memoir. I would also say that this is a great book for middle school and up as it shows the importance of education in achieving your dreams and makes an effortless history lesson of the 1950's as well. One of my top favorites. |
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| "Excellent book, better than the movie!" | 2007-12-26 |
| - Reviewed By combineman |
| I saw the movie "October Sky" several times prior to reading the book "Rocket Boys." As much as I enjoyed the movie, I enjoyed book even more. The best thing about the book is that it allows us to see Homer Hickam's doubts during his years as a Rocket Boy. I appreciate Mr. Hickam sharing his story in this memoir. |
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