Terry D. (tmdaviss) - , reviewed on 4/15/2013 + 72 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Rocket Boys, the original title for this book (and an anagram of October Sky), is a classic tale of a boy doing extraordinary things to win the love of his father. Sonny Hickam has written this memoir, based on the events that truly effected his life as he came of age in a tiny mining town in the mountains of West Virginia. As with most true stories, we sometimes root for the characters, and sometimes we shake our heads with annoyance, and wonder over how things really happen.

Homer "Sonny" Hickam is an accomplished writer whose story is easy to follow. It begins slowly, however, as we are given the background needed to see the people and places the story will envelop. This orderly attack is likely due to the fact that a retired Engineer from NASA does things in a planned and orderly fashion. Before long, however, you are struggling with Sonny to learn Calculus, to figure out girls, to race down mountain roads at breakneck speeds, and to carry the hopes and dreams of your buddies, your school, and your community into the national spotlight.

Do not let the slow beginning deter you from reading this wonderful story. And unlike most novels you read we know not just the ending of the story but also what becomes of the story's major characters in their future.

You are going to remember this book for a long time.

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