Alex

October Sky By: Alex Evanko

[|Homer Hickam interview]

About the Book

// October Sky, // by Homer Hickam is a non-fiction work recapturing the journey of Hickam and his friends through their trials and tribulations of rocket building. //October// Sky has been translated into eight different languages. October //Sky// has won the [|W.D. Weatherford Award] and was also a best seller. //October Sky// chronicles Hickam’s journey with his friends to win the 1960 National Science Fair in the category of propulsion. It is part one in a series known as the Coalwood Series, which is a series of three books: //October Sky, The Coalwood Way, and Sky of Stone.// Hickam’s book is now an award-winning movie as well.

Characters and Conflict

Homer, Quentin, Jim, and Willie are all a part of the “Rocket Boys”. According to their fathers, they are rebelious children who should be more thankful of what they have in the mining business. However, the boys, against the wishes of their families, continued to follow their dream of creating a successful rocket. Going against his father’s will, Homer and his friends are involved in rocket building. The rocket, Sputnik, inspired them to build rockets. Each attempt received more promise than the first, continuing as the “Rocket Boys” continued to gain more town-wide fame. With inspiration from Ms. Riley, Homer’s chemistry teacher, the boys take their design to the 1960 National Science Fair.

About the Author

Homer Hickam, author of //October Sky//, was born and raised in Coalwood, West Virginia. Hickam was born on February 19, 1943. Hickam and a group of friends built rockets, calling themselves the “Big Creek Missile Agency”. They decided to take their designs to the 1960 National Science Fair, where they won the gold medal for the propulsion category. These events are the basis of his award winning book, //October Sky//. After attending college at the University of Virginia Tech, Hickam continued on to work for the NASA space program. Hickam has also written other books ranging from his first fiction work, //Back to the Moon,// to sequels of //October Sky,// such as, //The Coalwood Way.// Homer Hickam is continuing to write both fiction and non-fiction books as he further cements himself as a best-selling author.

Book Review

// October Sky //, by Homer Hickam, is a memoir of Hickam’s experiences in Coalwood, West Virginia. The story captures the effects of living during the cold war era. //October Sky// is a New York Times best seller and has won the W.D. Weatherford Award. //October Sky// chronicles Hickam’s journey with his friends to the 1960 National Science Fair, where they won the gold medal for propulsion. Hickam’s story is truly an inspirational work that will be known as one of the best literary works in American history.

Theme

Ones's personal interests are more imortant than what is expected by society.

Style

Homer Hickam uses verbage that would have been common during the nineteen-sixties. This puts the reader into the setting making for a more enjoyable read. He also writes at a high school level, making the book open to more generations. Hickam has admitted to taking some licence in the writing of his book, sometimes combining two people into one character, in order to make it easier for readers to connect to his book.

Works Cited

Hickam, Homor. //October Sky//. New York: Dell Publishing, 1999. Print. Amazon Reviews. “Rocket boys.” Rev. of //October Sky//, Homor Hickam. Betterworldbooks.com. 23 Feb 2011. 13 Dec. 2011. Kirkus, Virginia. “Rocket Boys.” Rev of //October Sky//, Homor Hickam. //Kirkusreviews.com.// Kirkus Reviews, August 15 1999. 13 Dec. 2011. Random House Publishin Group. Rev. of //October Sky,// by Homor Hickam. Barnesandnoble.com. 1 Jan 2000. Web. 13 Dec. 2011.