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Rocket Boys
Rocket Boys | Homer Hickam
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.
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Bookwormjillk
Rocket Boys | Homer Hickam
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I‘ve been meaning to re-read this one, and I‘m glad I finally got to it. High school boys building rockets in a West Virginia coal mining town was the kind of memoir I needed this week.

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ChelseaM6010
Rocket Boys: A Memoir | Homer H. Hickam
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#VolumesAndVocals
Day 16. Rocket Man- Elton John
#RocketMan

Eggs Love this book/film 🚀 2y
12 likes1 comment
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Butterfinger
Rocket Boys | Homer Hickam
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Pickpick

Oh, what a glorious book!!!! Space race from rural mountains of West Virginia. The relationship between father and son was analyzed. The support and encouragement of a small community. Union vs company men. The love of a mother. It just had everything. October Sky is one of my favorite movies and now Rocket Boys is one of my favorite books. #Nonfiction2022 @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I am a Brain

Scochrane26 It‘s hard to find now under the original Rocket Boys title. I read it years ago. Also, I love his The Coalwood Way & Sky Of Stone. 3y
robinb Ok, I‘m embarrassed to say that Homer Hickam lives in my town…and I‘ve never read him. Oh the shame…😔😔😔 3y
58 likes2 comments
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audraelizabeth
October Sky: A Memoir | Homer H. Hickam
Pickpick

I love this book just as i loved the movie.
#litsyatoz letter o @BookishMarginalia
#mmd local author
#readthestates west virginia
#readingrush book to movie adaptation

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Chrissyreadit
Rocket Boys | Homer Hickam
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This was a great book to read I read it with my son and his friends when they were learning about Rockets. The movie October Sky is great also (based on the book). Congratulations on your litsy milestone @BarbaraBB ! #wv #countryroadstakemehome #thinklocalgiveaway

BarbaraBB Thanks for entering. This is a book I still want to read! 💚 4y
Emilymdxn I loved this book! 4y
TheAromaofBooks My grandparents grew up really close to Hickham's area of WV - Grandpa remembers playing his high school's basketball team. Watching October Sky with them was so interesting, to hear what they thought about how the movie compared the reality of their lives in a coal camp. 4y
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Butterfinger The movie is one of my favorites. I own the book, but haven't read it. 4y
Chrissyreadit @TheAromaofBooks that‘s pretty cool! 4y
Chrissyreadit @Butterfinger we read it with 5/6 grade homeschool boys- I would consider it a good read since they all enjoyed it too. 4y
sudi Haven't read the book, but i loved that movie. 4y
Tanisha_A @sudi Same! Fab movie 4y
70 likes2 stack adds8 comments
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Eggs
Rocket Boys | Homer Hickam
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Scochrane26 You used the original title! I have this one & the 2 that go along with it. 5y
Eggs @Scochrane26 🤗👏🏻🤗👌🏼 5y
48 likes2 comments
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Scochrane26
October Sky: A Memoir | Homer H. Hickam
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Day 11 -I don‘t normally put my house on social media, but you all aren‘t weirdos & love this pic of my trees. This was last year when almost all the leaves had turned. This yr, they‘re starting to turn, but with not much rain, they might not be as pretty.
I read the tagged book & its sequels back when it was published as The Rocket Boys. The movie was one of Jake Gyllenhaal‘s first. @Clwojick #scarathlon #chillingphotochallenge #october

Scochrane26 Also fits #screamathonphotochallenge today of autumn leaves. @4thhouseontheleft 5y
overtheedge Love the colors 5y
Clwojick Love those trees!!! 5y
Scochrane26 @overtheedge @Clwojick thanks! I love my trees. I have some tall ones in the backyard, too, but not as pretty. It‘s a pain to rake leaves in the fall, but they shade my house during summer. 5y
18 likes4 comments
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Blaire
October Sky: A Memoir | Homer H. Hickam
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On my tbr for 2019, this is the story of homer hickam, a boy from a small town in West Virginia who dreamed of sending rockets into space. He learned how to turn scrap metal into sophisticated rockets. 🚀 #winterwonderland #aspacemancametraveling

merelybookish I loved this movie! 6y
Tanisha_A @merelybookish Loved this movie too! High-5 6y
Cinfhen Meant to be both an excellent read & film!!! What prompt are u using this for??? 6y
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TrishB Sounds fun 👍🏻 6y
Cathythoughts I love this Christmas poinsettia ... last year ours lasted till April ♥️♥️♥️♥️ 6y
Blaire @Cinfhen @merelybookish @tanisha_a I think I‘m going to use it for the #booked2019 #booktomovie prompt. I usually don‘t plan out my challenge books but reading this one is also part of a personal challenge to read the books I own next year. Ive never seen the movie!! (edited) 6y
Blaire @TrishB it‘s one my husband loves and it takes place not too far from where I live. 6y
Blaire @Cathythoughts thank you! I love the color. I hope ours lasts anywhere near that long! 💕 6y
Cinfhen I‘m trying to use what I own too for challenges but all I WANT is what everyone else is reading🙄 6y
72 likes1 stack add9 comments
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SailorJohn
Rocket Boys: A Memoir | Homer H. Hickam
Pickpick

Fun to read. Amazing what Homer and his boys accomplished.

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DivineDiana
Rocket Boys: A Memoir | Homer H. Hickam
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This memoir inspired the movie October Sky. I would watch it every year with my high school students, and it never failed to touch my heart. #rocketbrothers #septemberdanes

Kaye I loved this book. Never saw the movie, and not really interested in it, only because I don‘t watch movies , but the book was a beautiful story. 6y
Laura317 Much of the movie was filmed in East Tennessee. We still drive by the remaining Olga Company sign every day. Loved the movie and the book. 6y
DivineDiana @Kaye It is a beautiful story. If you ever change your mind, the acting in this old fashioned, feel good movie is exceptional! Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Laura Dern and Chris Cooper. 6y
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DivineDiana @Laura317 So interesting! ❤️ 6y
Kaye Thanks, I‘m sure the movie is good. I bet the setting and background is beautiful, as WV is such a beautiful state. I don‘t know why, but I have just never been much into movies, even as a kid or teen ? I don‘t know 🤷‍♀️. Weird, I guess. There are a few comedies from decades ago that I thought were funny, but other than that, I just can‘t get into them. 6y
Cinfhen I cried big fat ugly tears 😭 😭 😭 soooo good 6y
DivineDiana @Cinfhen I can get teary eyed just thinking about it! 😢 6y
Kalalalatja Another movie I need to watch! 6y
DivineDiana @Kalalalatja It‘s a good one! 🙂 6y
76 likes2 stack adds9 comments
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Amiable
Rocket Boys: A Memoir | Homer H. Hickam
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This might be the best opening paragraph of a book I've read so far this year... sucked me right in!

jillrhudy This book is one of the best Appalachian books ever! 6y
19 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Amiable
Rocket Boys: A Memoir | Homer H. Hickam
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Words to live by 😍

Wan.der.love So true 🙌🏻 6y
DivineDiana Big Homer Hickam fan! 6y
22 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Amiable
Rocket Boys: A Memoir | Homer H. Hickam
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My rainy-day-with-a-book-in-bed buddy. 😺😻 #catsoflitsy

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Nichdorsey02
October Sky: A Memoir | Homer H. Hickam
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Pickpick

This is a science fiction book. Covers a great story on the main character and his friends building rockets and wanting to make them better and better in a time where men were supposed to work in the mines after school.
https://www.prestwickhouse.com/samples/302881.pdf #ucfwalterslit

lburgos9 @Nichdorsey02 This was another book I remember reading in elementary school as a class. We then went outside and made rockets like the book. I can understand the rocky relationship the dad had with his son because the dad wanted his son to be something he didn‘t want to be. The movie was also great. #UCFWalterslit (edited) 7y
Racheal.Shi.Horton I remember watching this movie in school. The book is a good way to get students interested into science and more specifically into rockets. 7y
1 like2 comments
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azulaco
Rocket Boys: A Memoir | Homer H. Hickam
Pickpick

Even though I personally rate this at three stars, I still recommend it. This book was great as a memoir of growing up in a West Virginia coal town, but I was less interested in the details about the boys‘ rocket experiments. But that‘s just me. The engineering details did keep me awed that these kids figured this all out almost on their own, from rocket design to rocket fuel! Super impressive achievement, and inspiring to read.

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azulaco
Rocket Boys: A Memoir | Homer H. Hickam
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I started this one yesterday for #usareadingroadtrip #WestVirginia. It‘s a memoir of growing up in coal mining country during good times (late 1950s), and getting out. Interesting to read given the current economic despair in coal country, and subsequent Trumpian support.

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CocoReads
October Sky: A Memoir | Homer H. Hickam
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Not a great reading month for me but I enjoyed most of the books I did read.

the_alternate_ending_library I have the Historian on my TBR ❤ 7y
CocoReads It was pretty good. It had a few draggy parts but overall a good read. 7y
45 likes2 comments
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robinb
October Sky: A Memoir | Homer H. Hickam
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1. HALLOWEEN! ❤️
2. No, but do love the coziness of fall and winter.
3. Favorites are Georgian, Regency, Victorian eras, but I'm trying to branch out. 😊 And yes, I'm an Anglophile...from Alabama. 🤣
4. I try to pick up Kindle sales, so I'll say $15-$20.
5. England, Scotland (see #3)
6. Work 😩, family ❤️
7. My TBR pile on my Kindle is huge....probably 100+. 😜 I need to get busy!

Great questions! ❤️

#LitsyQuestions
 @GypsyKat

GypsyKat Great answers! And don't worry, you are not alone in having a huge Kindle TBR! 😄 7y
robinb @GypsyKat thanks! I knew Litsy felt like home for a reason...🙌😍 7y
GypsyKat @robinb Haha! Yes! You have found your people! 😉💗 7y
29 likes3 comments
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Eggs
Rocket Boys | Homer Hickam
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"All one can really leave one's children is what's inside their heads. Education and not earthly possessions, is the ultimate legacy, the only thing that can not be taken away."
Dr Wernher von Braun

8 likes2 stack adds
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Bookwormjillk
October Sky: A Memoir | Homer H. Hickam
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This book is making me regret getting rid of all my college textbooks. It just makes doing math sound so fun.

Laalaleighh Don't let it fool you. My bf is a rocket scientist. He spends all his time staring at screens and cursing Bc he can't figure out why his program stopped working all of a sudden. So does everyone in his program. 7y
Bookwormjillk @Laalaleighh I definitely don't regret not using my physics degree- just miss the equations I used to spend so much time with! 7y
6 likes2 comments
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Bookwormjillk
October Sky: A Memoir | Homer H. Hickam
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Time for a re-read!

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Moonchild_booknerd89
Rocket Boys: A Memoir | Homer H. Hickam
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Pickpick

The movie I saw first then it made me want to know more I read both books October sky too!! I read this so much in high school:)

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MrBook
Rocket Boys | Homer Hickam
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#TBRtemptation post 3! This is Homer's memoir about life in Coalwood, West Virginia, where the major things in town were coal mining and high school football. Looking back to the 1950s after a distinguished career with NASA, he narrates what it was like to have a group of boys build friendships around their love for space and rocket ships. This memoir was made into a movie, "October Sky", in 1999. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook ?

robinb He lives here in my hometown...nice guy! 7y
RealBooks4ever Great cover! 💜 7y
Laura317 Part of October Sky was filmed in our area. We still have an October Sky Festival each October. 7y
51 likes4 stack adds3 comments
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Mindyrecycles
Rocket Boys | Homer Hickam
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Pickpick

The movie, October Sky, was very good, but omg the book is fantastic. #starsandstripes #jubilantjuly

Laura317 October Sky was fun for us because it filmed nearby. The small town nearest me has October Sky Festival every year. It's one claim to fame. 7y
MayJasper Love your photo 👍 7y
GAustin I feel like I read this. Probably just the movie. 7y
71 likes3 stack adds3 comments
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HaleyNicole0395
October Sky: A Memoir | Homer H. Hickam
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Pickpick

In this incredible page turner, Homer H. Hickman Junior and his friends build rockets that practically touch the sky. This memoir tells the story Coalwood, West Virginia, and the lives that lived there. The Rocket Boys are truly an inspiration to never stop dreaming, and working for what you want in life.

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HaleyNicole0395
October Sky: A Memoir | Homer H. Hickam

Half way done with this book! A review will be out soon! Definitely a page turner.

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Freefallinmissy
Rocket Boys: A Memoir | Homer H. Hickam
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Pickpick

One of my all time favs

kspenmoll Me too! 8y
5 likes1 comment
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Freefallinmissy
Rocket Boys | Homer Hickam
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One of my all time favs !

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Iindseyo
Rocket Boys | Homer Hickam
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First audiobook of 2017! Definitely going to have to rewatch October Sky once I finish it 🚀👨‍🚀 #audiobook

21 likes1 stack add
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Briguy73
Rocket Boys | Homer Hickam
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A few blue books from my library.#shadesofblue