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Book ReviewsOctober Sky |
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Book: October Sky
Written by: Homer Hickam |
Publisher: Turtleback Books Distributed by Demco Media
Average Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5
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A Love Letter from a Son to his Father
Rating:
5 / 5
I don't tend to read many memoirs - too romanticized, too maudlin, too many happy (or unbearably terrible) endings. *Rocket Boys* is an incredible exception. While there is much nostalgia, there is no overly romantic sentiment. Just reality, as it appears through the eyes of a man looking back to his boyhood.
There are many key elements that make the story work - Sonny Hickam's alternating love and repulsion for his town, his relationship with his mother and father, the coming-of-age dynamic in finding his rockets - but the facet that draws me in most deeply is the father/son relationship so powerfully depicted in his work. It is complex, painful, dynamic and stagnant . . . rewarding and unfulfilling . . . the paradox that lies at the center of many parent/child relationships.
It is easy to assume that the elder Homer understood nothing about Sonny, and that it is to his mother that he owes his personality and drive. And yet, if you read the book as it is written and don't rely too heavily on the film, you see a man who is much like his youngest son. Perhaps as a young man he WANTED to be Jim, and therefore he lives vicariously through the accomplishments of the star athlete, but it is Sonny with whom he shares his major accomplishment - his career, a position of prestige without the benefit of education, at the mine. And it is from Sonny that he feels the ultimate rejection when his son does not wish to follow in his footsteps.
It is this rejection, at war with his ambitions and dreams, that makes him deny Sonny help with his words while supporting the cause with his actions - allowing the supplies to be procured, etc. In the closing chapter, at the final launch, those dreams win out and he chases the rocket that his son has built. It is an ultimate moment of elation and understanding. And you wish it was the foundation of a close-knit tie between them. Yet, as the reader learns in the epilogue, it wasn't. Just another chain in the struggle.
For all of the complicated emotions, an adult "Sonny" seems to see his Dad as a whole individual. It is that portrayal that elevates this memoir to something very special, even if you don't know or care much about rockets.
But . . . a word about the rockets. In my region, manhood is defined by the "Jim"s in the crowd. What sports do you play? How good are you? School and good grades are mostly for girls. Sadly, you even see this attitude among coaches and teachers who just assume that the majority of young men will just naturally prefer video games to books and television to original thought. I hope that young men will read this book and understand that there is nothing feminine about schooling, education or excellence in academics. And that excellence of the mind is just as important as excellence in the body.
Out of this World
Rating:
5 / 5
Homer Hickam Jr. is an expert with words! This book is amazing; with a great plot, awesome characters, and cover to cover action. This really is the book to read. It is about young Homer "Sonny" Hickam and how he, along with some of his friends, is/are intrigued by the Space Race that is taking place during this time. They live in a small town named Coalwood which is basically a coal miners town. Even though the town revolves around the mine and the football, these boys do something different; build ROCKETS! This book teaches many things, and one of my favorite quotes from Miss Riley, Homer's teacher, is included in this book. Even if you have seen the movie, October Sky, you will get caught up in the excitement and let down's in this story. If you are in a book group, recommend this to be one of your reads. I highly recommend this book to teenagers and up, it depends on your reading level though for you younger ones out there looking for an awesome book! So pick it up today, you won't want to put it down once you start. If you are still wary of whether or not to read this book, for some unexplainable reason, check out Homer's website and read up a little bit more on this book, which is actually part of a Coalwood trilogy. Enjoy!
October Sky
Rating:
5 / 5
October Sky is about a group of friends who lived in Coalwood, West Virginia. These friends have a hobby of designing steel rockets and launching them at Cape Coalwood, their launch site. All of them hope to work with Dr. Wernher Von Braun, a rocket scientist.
The group of friends enter Sonny into a science fair in Bluefield. He was the first Big Creek High School student to win the science fair. Winning it sent him to Indianapolis for the National Science Fair. On the bus ride up he meets a boy from Texas who is also into designing rockets, Tex. Tex and Sonny both win medals, Sonny coming in first and Tex in second.
I recommend this book for many reasons. One reason is because it is very interesting. It is interesting because they use different elements to create their propellants and use different strategies to make their rockets fly higher. If you enjoy science this book will be agood read. Another reason i recommend this book is because it is a biography. I really like biographies and can read them over again because i enjoy learning about other people's adventures.
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