Rocket Boys

Homer Hickam

Random House Publishing Group, Apr 1, 1999 - Biography & Autobiography - 384 pages

The #1 New York Times bestselling memoir that inspired the film October Sky, Rocket Boys is a uniquely American memoir—a powerful, luminous story of coming of age at the dawn of the 1960s, of a mother's love and a father's fears, of a group of young men who dreamed of launching rockets into outer space . . . and who made those dreams come true.

With the grace of a natural storyteller, NASA engineer Homer Hickam paints a warm, vivid portrait of the harsh West Virginia mining town of his youth, evoking a time of innocence and promise, when anything was possible, even in a company town that swallowed its men alive. A story of romance and loss, of growing up and getting out, Homer Hickam's lush, lyrical memoir is a chronicle of triumph—at once exquisitely written and marvelously entertaining.

One of the most beloved bestsellers in recent years, Rocket Boys is a uniquely American memoir. A powerful, luminous story of coming of age at the end of the 1950s, it is the story of a mother's love and a father's fears, of growing up and getting out. With the grace of a natural storyteller, Homer Hickam looks back after a distinguished NASA career to tell his own true story of growing up in a dying coal town and of how, against the odds, he made his dreams of launching rockets into outer space come true.

A story of romance and loss and a keen portrait of life at an extraordinary point in American history, Rocket Boys is a chronicle of triumph.

What people are saying

October Sky

User Review  - Borders

Michael Schwartz Language Arts October Sky Book Review May 14, 2010

User Review -

This is an awesome book on 3 boys who want to be in the rocket career. It is very fun to read, especially the part they launch and build their rockets.

About the author

Homer Hickam was born and raised in Coalwood, West Virginia. The author of Torpedo Junction (a Military History Book-of-the-Month Club selection) as well as numerous articles for such publications as Air & Space/Smithsonian and American History Illustrated, he is a NASA payload training manager for the International Space Station program and lives in Huntsville, Alabama.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Rocket Boys
• Author: Homer Hickam
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, 1999
• ISBN: 0440333873, 9780440333876
• Length: 384 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs; Family & Relationships / Life Stages / General; History / United States / State & Local / South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)