A powerful, luminous story of coming of age at the end of the 1950s. It is a story of growing up in a mining town, and a boys pursuit of amateur rocketry in a coal mining town. 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. A story of romance and loss, of growing up and getting out, homer hickams lush, lyrical memoir is a chronicle of triumphat once exquisitely written and marvelously entertaining. Hickam served as a first lieutenant in the fourth infantry. Born in 1943, homer grew up in west virginia in coalwood. Homer hickam has 30 books on goodreads with 53001 ratings. 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. A respected amateur historian, scuba expedition leader, and military veteran, he continues to write using his personal experience. The keepers son is the intriguing first book in the thurlow. Dec 18, 2018 homer hickam early life and his education. Homer hickam national aeronautics and space administration.
Army as a 1st lieutenant in the 4th infantry division during the vietnam war. It is really the story of a boy and where he grew up, said hickam about the nonfiction memoir. Weatherford award in 1998, the year of its release. How does a 54yearold man get inside the brain of a 14yearold boy. It is maintained by homers staff and homer himself. The first book in the series was titled the keepers son, and a sequel came out shortly after. Homer hickam is the author of the new york times bestseller rocket boys, which was made into the acclaimed movie october sky. Winner of the prestigious university of alabamas clarence cason award and the appalachian heritage writers award for his memoirs and fiction plus many other writing awards including an honorary doctorate of literature from marshall university, homer hickam also known as homer h.
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. 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. The satellite cast a long shadow over the mining town where homer and elsie hickam were raising homer jr. Faced with an uncertain future, sonny hickam aka homer hickam, jr. His many literary awards include the clarence cason award for nonfiction, and the appalachian heritage writers award for his memoirs and fiction. He was graduated from big creek high school in 1960. It was 1957, the year sputnik raced across the appalachian sky, and the small town of coalwood, west virginia, was slowly dying. Homer hickam books list of books by author homer hickam. October sky the title on the mass market movie tiein version of the bestselling the rocket boys is the first memoir in a series of four, by homer hickam jr. Nasa from rocket boy to nasa engineer homer hickam. Today, it is one of the most often picked community.
Aimlessly wandering the fiction aisles of the library, glumly looking over the beentheredonethat grisham novels, wishfully scanning the hiaasen section in slim hopes of finding something new, when out of the corner of my eye, i caught a name on a book spine. Delacorte throughout the summer of 1958, explosions rocked the hills and hollows near coalwood, west virginia. He and his wife and cats share their time between homes in huntsville, alabama, and the u. The far reaches came out in 2007 and made the series a trilogy. In coalwood, west virginia in the 1940s and 1950s, most boys would set their sights on mining. He was born in coalwood, west virginia in the city of united states. Lesson summary using experience after experience, homer hickam jr.
A powerful, luminous story of coming of age at the end of the. Homer hickambio, career, net worth, married, wife, age. He is an american veteran and was an engineer for nasa. He has appeared on multiple television series as himself. He has also authored the military history bestseller torpedo junction, along with several other popular historical and science fiction novels. 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. Subsequently, he got honorably discharged in 1970, after six years of active duty with a rank of captain. Incidental to that are such questions as what is jake gyllenhaal, chis cooper, laura dern, etc.
Homer hickam is the bestselling author of the coalwood series of memoirs, the josh thurlow series of world war ii fiction, and many other novels and nonfiction books. 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. Hickam has also written a number of bestselling memoirs and novels including the josh thurlow. Homer hickam audio books, best sellers, author bio. It is an account of experiencing childhood in a mining town, and a kids quest for novice rocketry in a coalmining town. A message to the next generation of rocket boys and girls.
Sixteenyearold homer and his pals in the big creek missile agency are high school seniors, still building homemade rockets and hoping that science will. Get this book free when you sign up for a 30day trial. Homer hickam audio books homer hickam is the author of the new york times bestseller rocket boys, which was made into the acclaimed movie october sky. The true story of homer hickam, a coal miners son who was inspired by the first sputnik launch to take up rocketry against his fathers wishes. 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. Homer hickam is the author of many books including the acclaimed memoir rocket boys that was made into the film october sky. Looking back after a distinguished nasa career, hickam shares the story of his youth, taking readers into the life of the little mining town of coalwood. He is the author of october sky, which was turned into a 1999 feature length film. A writer since grade school, he is also a vietnam veteran, a former coal miner, a scuba instructor, an avid amateur paleontologist, and a retired engineer. 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. His many literary awards include the clarence cason award for nonfiction, and the appalachian heritage. Signin to download and listen to this audiobook today.
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. 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. Sep 05, 20 how does a 54yearold man get inside the brain of a 14yearold boy. His first book, torpedo junction, a military history of the uboat. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. His awards for writing are many and include the university of alabamas clarence cason award and shepherd universitys appalachian heritage authors award. Hickam has reason to know and the inspiration to share. This series first became available to readers in 2003. He started out building rockets in his backyard before serving in the u.
He is 8 years old at the beginning of the story but is in high school for most of the book, and he serves as the leader of the rocket boys. One of the most beloved bestsellers in recent years, rocket boys is a uniquely american memoir. Homer hickam is the creator and author of the josh thurlow series. Elsie hickam is homer hickam s wife and the mother of jim and sonny. Delacorte throughout the summer of 1958, explosions rocked the hills.
Aug 21, 2018 homer hickam is a nasa engineering legend. And people called the coalwood way, hickams followup to october sky, a heartwarmer. Rocket boys audiobook by homer hickam, beau bridges. Hickam shared this and other details when he joined the palmdale, calif. Authored several books prior to starting his career as an author, hickam served in the u. Download rocket boys pdf by homer hickam published on 15 september 1998. He is nearsighted and wears glasses, and he plays in the school band. See all books authored by homer hickam, including rocket boys, and carrying albert home. This book is basically kids trying to get to space. That was the challenge former nasa engineer and author homer h.
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