It is really the story of a boy and where he grew up, said hickam about the nonfiction memoir. Hickam s other books, the coalwood way, and sky of stone both give even more insight, and are also great reads. This readers group guide for homer hickams october sky is designed to stimulate discussion and enhance the readers appreciation of this exceptional book. October sky is based on the lives of four young men who grew up in coalwood, west virginia. His 1998 memoir rocket boys also published as october sky was a new york times best seller and was the basis for the 1999 film october. Nasa internship reportedly lost after twitter spat with. Girl loses nasa internship over insult to october sky. A memoir, the popular 1998 book made into the 1999 film october sky. Homer hickam audio books, best sellers, author bio. Homer hickam books list of books by author homer hickam. Rocket boys author homer hickam on writing memoirs. Through homer hickam s marvelous memoirs, readers have been transported to coalwood, west virginia, of the late 1950s first in rocket boys made into the film october sky, then the coalwood way, and now sky of stone. Homer hickam is a former nasa engineer, a new york times bestselling author, a vietnam war veteran, a small.
A memoir in 1998 and the premiere of the movie october sky in 1999, many homer hickam listeners and fans have wondered how and why he wrote the book, and how the movie was made. Homer hickam national aeronautics and space administration. From rocket boys to october sky kindle single kindle edition by homer hickam. He was born as the second child of parents homer sr. He grew up to be a nasa engineer and his memoir of the bumpy ride toward a gold medal at.
Rocket boys, perhaps best known as the book that inspired the movie october sky, is a heartwarming comingofage memoir about a group of boys who dreamt of the future in a town that had very little future to dream about. In 1998, delacorte press published hickams second book, rocket boys. He has appeared on multiple television series as himself. From the informed imagination of the author of rocket boys. He started out building rockets in his backyard before serving in the u. Sonny is the head coal minnings kid, most kids in this town follow the footsteps in becoming part of the coal mine. Carrying albert home tells the sweet, funny and sometimes heartbreaking tale of a young couple and their special pet on a crazy 1,000 mile journey. Mar, 2007 homer hickam, master storyteller and bestselling author of october sky, speaks to the ntpn opening session. Homer s family is an important element in the story. Rather than being an impediment, nasa can and should be the driver of commerce, the provider of the technology necessary to make some big money in space. How does a 54yearold man get inside the brain of a 14yearold boy. October sky is a 1999 american biographical drama film directed by joe johnston and starring jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper, chris owen, and laura dern. His memoir october sky was a new york times best seller and was the basis for the 1999 film of the same name. The somewhat true story of a man, his wife, and her alligator, i decided to go back and read the first book by west virginia coal miners kid turned rocket scientist and bestselling author homer hickam.
I, too, grew up in a rural area on a dirt road in the woods of nh. She has been married to his wife linda terry hickam since 1998. At this point, hickam had already been working for nasa, specifically in training astronauts for the first. Posted jul 23, 2014 reel vs real, october sky and rocket boys 7. If youre interested in booking homer hickam to speak at your next event, please. He is the one who trained the first japanese astronauts. His 1998 memoir was rocket boys which was a new york times best seller and was the basis for the 1999 film october sky. The red clay readers summer reading series continues this week with an interview with homer hickam, author of rocket boys. It received so much acclaim and interest, he was asked to write a book detailing the whole story. Homer hickam, author of the memoir rocket boys made into the movie october sky, recalls his first years as a nasa engineer while also telling the story of his fluffy black and white cat paco who had the magic ability to make people smile and give t.
October sky does good job of telling homer hickam jr. In 1998, delacorte press published hickams second book, rocket boys, the story of his life as the son of a coal miner in coalwood, west virginia. Nasa from rocket boy to nasa engineer homer hickam. October sky is an incredible book about the story of sonny hickam, the son of a coal miner. Coalwood is the small town where coal mining is the main job, and most boys go into the mine at a young age. October sky by homer hickam overview looking back after a distinguished nasa career that fulfilled his boyhood ambition, hickam shares the story of his youth, taking readers into the life of the little mining town and the boys who came to embody both its tensions and its dreams. The truth is that private enterprise already has a huge presence up there.
Homer hickam is the author of many books including the acclaimed memoir rocket boys that was made into the film october sky. It was 1957, and the small mining town of coalwood, west virginia, was slowly dying. Homer hickambio, career, net worth, married, wife, age. Told with the warmth and downhome charm that made rocket boys a beloved bestseller, homer hickam s rollicking novel is truly a testament to that strange and marvelous emotion we call love. October sky by homer hickam pdf free download ebook. October sky by homer hickman is an story that looks into a small coal town. Interesting that october sky the name of the movie is an anagram of rocket boys the name of the book the original name anyway.
Homer hickam posed with actor jake gyllenhaal during the filming of the 1999 film october sky. Hickam has also written a number of bestselling memoirs and novels including the josh thurlow historical fiction novels. His awards for writing are many and include the university of alabamas clarence cason award and shepherd universitys appalachian heritage authors award. A uniquely endearing book with universal themes of class, family, coming of age, and the thrill of discovery, homer hickams rocket boys is evocative, vivid storytelling at its most magical. He is the author of october sky, which was turned into a 1999 feature length film. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading from rocket boys to october sky kindle single. Faced with an uncertain future, homer hickam nurtured a dream. Hickam s first fiction novel was back to the moon 1999 that was also simultaneously released as a hardcover, audio book, and ebook. October skyrocket boys by tina55 see profile 040114 our book club enjoyed reading this book the reading guide provided on the homer hickam website really helped us evaluate the book. This book is the semifictionalized autobiography of one teenager caught up in the postsputnik avalanche of events, former nasa engineer homer hickam, and how he came to terms with the contradictions between his fascination with this new cutting edge of science and the utter dependence of himself, his family, and virtually everyone he knows on. Since then, while i was in the army and then with nasa, i successfully.
As you read this memoir, did you begin to feel as if you knew the people involved. In 1981, hickam was hired as an aerospace engineer by nasa national. Do you think youd have been happy to live in coalwood in the late 1950s. This wellwritten biography is a snapshot into history, into the mind of a teenaged homer hickam, into the lives people living in a 1950s coal mining town, and into our national attitude about the space race. Homer hickam s memoir october sky is the story of homer and his love for rocketry during the space race. He grew up to be a nasa engineer and his memoir of the bumpy ride toward a gold medal at the. Hickam worked in spacecraft design and crew training. Homer hickam talks exploration, nasa and october sky 2 of 3. October sky orignally published as rocket boys 9780440235507 by homer hickam. Mar 04, 2011 buy october sky new ed by homer hickam isbn. Homer s parents, though imperfect, are remembered for their humor, dedication and ingenuity. That was the challenge former nasa engineer and author homer h. Author and engineer homer hickam says he trusts that the native bravery he knew growing up in west virginia will help others weather the troubles that result from the 20192020 coronavirus outbreak.
A memoir in 1998 and the premiere of the movie october sky in 1999, many homer hickam readers and fans have wondered how and why he wrote the book, and how the movie. His 1998 memoir rocket boys also published as october sky was a new york times best seller and was the basis for the 1999 film october sky. West virginia by learning rocketry to becoming a nasa engineer. How the classic memoir rocket boys was written and the hit movie october sky was made by homer hickam goodreads author 4. Homer hickam bio, net worth, age, fact, nasa, rocket boys. October sky looking back after a distinguished nasa career that fulfilled his boyhood ambition, hickam shares the story of his youth, taking readers into the life of the little mining town and the boys who came to embody both its tensions and its dreams. October sky the coalwood series homer hickam 0440235502 9780440235507 the true story, originally published asrocket boys, that inspired the universal pictures film. After watching the launch of sputnik, he set his sights on. Although i was a teenager more than a decade later than hickam was, some of the things he wrote about hit close to home. October sky by homer hickam this book is wonderful and based. In all three books, the author commemorates his hometown and its citizens with loving admiration.
He fell in with a group of misfits who learned not only how to turn scraps of metal into sophisticated rockets but how to sustain their hope in a. Jul 15, 2007 a numberone new york times bestseller in mass market, brought to the screen in the acclaimed film october sky, homer hickams memoir, nominated for the national book critics circle award, comes to trade paperback with an allnew photo insert. In 1999, rocket boys was made into a hollywood movie named october sky starring chris cooper, jake gyllenhaal and laura dern. Dec 18, 2018 homer hickam is an author, vietnam veteran and a former nasa engineer. Moreover, hickam was also hired by the nasa to work as an aerospace engineer in marshall space flight center. Having recently read and enjoyed carrying albert home. Originally titled the rocket boys, the book was renamed in 1999 chapter 1. He graduated from big creek high school in 1960 and from the virginia polytechnic institute virginia tech in 1964 with a bs degree in industrial engineering. Faced with an uncertain future, sonny hickam aka homer hickam, jr. October sky summary and analysis rocket boys by homer hickam. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. This is the true story that inspired the feature film october sky. Homer hickam was born and raised in coalwood, west virginia. A woman reportedly announced her nasa internship on twitter before cursing another user in a profane tweet.
If youve only seen the movie october sky or read the book rocket boys, you might be surprised to hear that nasa, nasa, nasa was not the burning ambition of homer hickam jr. Now homer hickam continues his extraordinary story with sky of stone, dazzling us with exquisite storytelling as he takes us back to that remarkable small town we first came to know and love in october sky. One of the most beloved bestsellers in recent years, rocket boys is a uniquely american memoir. This article will give you a chapter by chapter october sky summary.
Homer hickam wiki, affair, married, age, net worth, wife. Homer hickam, the man whose life became the basis of the film october sky, takes. Originally titled the rocket boys when hickam wrote it in 1998, the book can also be found under the title october sky which was released in conjunction with the movie tiein in 1999. The author of torpedo junction, a military history book of the month club selection, as well as numerous articles for such publications as smithsonian air and space and american history illustrated, he is a nasa payload training manager for the international space program and lives in huntsville, alabama. His memoir rocket boys was adapted into the film titled october sky. It was the year sputnik raced across the appalachian s best books to read. Building on the success of his 1998 book, rocket boys, which inspired the movie october sky, hickam has spun yet another story of heartwarming possibilities. A memoir was published by delacorte press in september.
It was 1957, the year sputnik raced across the appalachian sky, and the small town of coalwood, west virginia, was slowly dying. Homer hickam to speak at nasa glenn rocket boys, the 2005 selection for the north coast neighbors share a book program, and the inspiration for the movie october sky, is a bestselling novelmemoir based on the authors coming of age in coalwood, west virginia. Delacorte subsequently released a mass market paperback of rocket boys, retitled october sky. Homer hickam reveals how director joe johnston came up with the name for the popular film. Aug 23, 2018 an american talented author, vietnam veteran former nasa engineer is known for homer hickam. Author homer hickam talks differences in rocket boys and film october sky updated jan, 2019. Hickam has also written a number of bestselling memoirs and novels including the josh thurlow. Incidental to that are such questions as what is jake gyllenhaal, chis cooper, laura dern, etc. He is an american veteran and was an engineer for nasa. In the summer of 61, homer sonny hickam, a year of college behind him, was dreaming of sandy beaches and rocket ships. Jan, 2019 an american author and former nasa engineer, homer hickam is mostly recognized as the writer of rocket boys, which was later turned in a film called october sky.
Attach this perspective to your mind as you enter the world of coalwood as recreated by bestselling author and former nasa engineer homer hickam. Hickam, a vietnam combat veteran, has also been a coal miner, scuba instructor, nasa engineer, paleontologist two t. The story takes place in mcdowell county, west virginia. Hickam shared this and other details when he joined the palmdale, calif. Born in 1943, homer grew up in west virginia in coalwood. Homer hickam talks exploration, nasa and october sky 2 of. Mar 10, 2008 homer hickam talks exploration, nasa and october sky 2 of 3. As the boys began to light up the tarry skies with their flaming projectiles and dreams of glory, coalwood, and the hickams, would never be the same. Sep 05, 20 how does a 54yearold man get inside the brain of a 14yearold boy. Sky of stone is a followup to hickam s two previous memoirs, rocket boys which was made into the movie october sky and the coalwood way. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Rocket boysoctober sky by homer hickam if you are a 14yearold boy living in a west virginia mining town in the 1950s, your horizon is defined by the age worn appalachian peaks enclosing your valley. Homer hickam won the praise of critics and the devotion of readers with his first two memoirs set in the hardscrabble mining town of coalwood, west virginia.