Tag Rocket Boys

Real-Life Stories Challenge the Best in Fiction

Reg Spittle Leave a comment

These books proved to me that real life can be more captivating than the best fiction.

Rocket Boys, by Homer Hickam. For Homer “Sonny” Hickam, the Sputnik 1957 launch was just what he and his friends needed to transform imagination, ingenuity and hard work into a great American success story. From 1957 through 1960, Sonny and his West Virginia high school classmates, as the Big Creek Missile Agency, fired off 35 rockets, some wildly successful, some wildly disastrous. Hickam’s memoir flew off the shelves, leading to the acclaimed film October Sky.

Walden on Wheels, by Ken Ilgunas. When Ken Ilgunas graduated the University of Buffalo with $32,000 in debt, he feared a life without the freedom he valued more than anything. After an Alaskan trip filled with hardships and adventure, he asks himself, “Now what?” His answer may seem out of character for readers of Walden on Wheels. A superb book!

Henry David Thoreau: A Life, by Laura Dassow Walls. The author goes beyond the labels and reveals a sometimes insecure man who struggled to find out who he was. Walls takes readers on a journey through Thoreau’s journals and other writings. His walks, inner debates, friendships, and two years at Walden Pond come to life in a way that will enthrall and surprise even the most learned Thoreau scholar.

The Last Season, by Eric Blehm. What happened to Yosemite ranger Randy Morgenson? He had spent 28 summers as a ranger in the wilderness of Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks. A passionate protector of his beloved lands, he had become perhaps the most celebrated ranger in the Sierra Nevada. Then he went missing.

Destiny Republic, by Candice Millard. James Garfield came out of nowhere to win the Republican nomination and become the 20th president of the United States in 1881. If not for a bullet and questionable medical care, he could have been one of the greatest leaders in American history. This is a riveting presidential biography about a brilliant man and one of the most gifted White House residents.

Homer Hickam: What Happened to the Rocket Boy?

Reg Spittle 2 Comments

Homer Hickam and five high school buddies created the Big Creek Missile Agency in the late 1950s as the world’s space race was heating up. They designed, built, and launched increasingly sophisticated and high-flying missiles, capturing the hearts of the residents of their hometown, Coalwood, West Virginia. They gained a wider spotlight in 1960 when they won two medals in the National Science Fair.

But that was just the beginning for Homer Hickam.

He brilliantly described his coming-of-age adventures in his book, Rocket Boys, which became October Sky, an endearing motion picture. Jake Gyllenhaal, then 17, played Homer.

I loved the book and the film, but they left me wondering: Did Homer Hickam realize his dream to work for NASA?

My son Chris, who lives in Charleston, West Virginia, with his wife Gail, are big Homer Hickam and October Sky fans. Just a few weeks ago, Chris reminded me Hickam had written more memoirs that answered my question and many more.

I just finished reading all three followup books and the story about how he pursued his dream is as captivating as his high-school antics with rockets. His path includes Virginia Tech University, work in his father’s coal mine, and the Vietnam War. He lives through (barely) experiences as a scuba diver that put him on NASA’s radar. And there is so much more.

The three books that follow Rocket Boys, in order, are The Coalwood Way, Sky of Stone, and Don’t Blow Yourself Up.

But Homer Hickam, now 80, is not finished. He acquired the film rights to his story and has begun work on December Sky, a motion picture he says will not be a sequel, nor a prequel. He calls it an “equal.”

(Click here to see my review of Rocket Boys.)