October sky after seeing sputnik 1 crossing the sky, homer hickammain character becomes interested in the rocket and begins building it with the help of his. October sky after seeing sputnik 1 crossing the sky, homer hickam main character becomes interested in the rocket and begins building it with the help of his classmates and a teacher. 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. Vocabulary from the whole book october sky previously known as rocket boys by homer sonny hickam. Homer hickam, master storyteller and bestselling author of october sky, speaks to the ntpn opening session. Although i was a teenager more than a decade later than hickam was, some of the things he wrote about hit close to home. 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. In the book rocket boys, the main character is always called sonny. His awards for writing are many and include the university of alabamas clarence cason award and shepherd universitys.
Homer hickam said that universal studios marketing people got involved and they just had to change the. Too small to earn a football scholarship, homer has no way out of his predetermined life until the soviet satellite sputnik flies over the october sky and changes everything. Posted jul 23, 2014 reel vs real, october sky and rocket boys 7. Rent october sky 1999 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. In 1957, homer hickam jake gyllenhaal is a high school student in coalwood, west virginia when the soviet union launches sputnik, the first manmade satellite. October sky joe johnston, jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper. The coalwood way is a story of the rocket boys and coalwood. Homer hickam books list of books by author homer hickam. October sky movie tv listings and schedule tv guide.
Author homer hickam talks differences in rocket boys and film october sky updated jan, 2019. Homer hickam s memoir october sky is the story of homer and his love for rocketry during the space race. Hickam s other books, the coalwood way, and sky of stone both give even more insight, and are also great reads. Great gifts for christmas, birthdays, valentines day, mothers day, special teacher, wedding, fathers day, graduations and more.
He is the author of october sky, which was turned into a 1999 feature length film. Faced with an uncertain future, homer hickam nurtured a dream. A memoir in 1998 and the premiere of the movie october sky in 1999, many homer hickam readers and fans have wondered how and why he wrote the book, and how the movie was made. Homer calls it an equal, rather than a sequel because the story happens during the same timeframe as the first book. 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. October sky summary and analysis rocket boys by homer.
It was 1957, and the small mining town of coalwood, west virginia, was slowly dying. Hickam is presently reading from his book carrying albert home, which is the fifth book in his coalwood series, which also includes the works rocket boys. Incidental to that are such questions as what is jake gyllenhaal, chis cooper, laura dern, etc. A memoir in 1998 and the premiere of the movie october sky in 1999, many of my readers and fans have wondered 1 how and why i wrote the book, and 2 how the movie was made. This story teaches across the curriculum in science and english language arts. This readers group guide for homer hickam s october sky is designed to stimulate discussion and enhance the readers appreciation of this exceptional book 1. As the soviet satellite sputnik streaks across the heavens in october 1957, its a source of inspiration for 17yearold homer hickam. October sky 1999 jake gyllenhaal as homer hickam imdb. 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. This wellwritten biography is a snapshot into history, into the mind of a teenaged homer hickam, into the lives people living in a 1950s coal mining town, and into our national attitude about the space race. The original staged musical adaptation based on the. This even happens when the book is a true story, as in the case of october sky by homer hickam.
As you read this memoir, did you begin to feel as if you knew the people involved. October sky tells the true story of homer hickam, a boy inspired by the. He fell in with a group of misfits who learned not only how to turn scraps of metal into sophisticated rockets but how to sustain their. 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. He is an american veteran and was an engineer for nasa. October sky is a 1999 american biographical drama film directed by joe johnston and starring jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper, chris owen, and laura dern.
Sonny, however, is terrible at sports and has no special skill that would get him out of coalwood. If youve only seen the movie october sky or read the book rocket boys, you might be surprised to hear that nasa, nasa, nasa was not the burning ambition of homer hickam jr. Hickam s body of written work also includes several additional best. Working in the coal mines is an inescapable way of life in this small town. 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 love.
In coalwood, west virginia, all the boys grow up to be coal miners and homer hickam has no reason to think hell. Find out whether october sky is available for streaming via netflix uk, prime video uk, now tv, sky go or any other british streaming service. This book inspired the movie october sky it is the type of book i will be lending to everyone. Homer hickam audio books, best sellers, author bio. This article will give you a chapter by chapter october sky summary. Sonnys older brother, jim hickam, excels at football and expects to get a college football scholarship. It is mostly a true story though the author admits to taking some license about homer hickam, jr. In 1999, universal studios released its critically acclaimed film october sky, based on rocket boys.
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. Homer s family is an important element in the story. His many literary awards include the clarence cason award for nonfiction, and the appalachian heritage writers award for his memoirs and fiction. Find out when and where you can watch october sky on tv with the full listings schedule at. October sky by homer hickam this book is wonderful and based october sky is a memoir, the true story of homer hickam jr. He has appeared on multiple television series as himself. October sky by homer hickam overview looking back after a distinguished nasa career that fulfilled his boyhood ambition, hickam shares the story of his youth, taking readers into the life of the little mining town and the boys who came to embody both its tensions and its dreams. Meanwhile, john hickam homer s father is a west virginia coal miner who loves his job and expects his sons, jim homer s older brother and homer. I have yet to read the rocket boys, the book upon which this film is based, but this. October sky, originally published as rocket boys, tells the. In a 1950s mining town called coalwood, homer hickam is a kid with only one future in sight, to work in the local coal mine like his father. A memoir, the coalwood way, sky of stone, and we are not afraid. Books autographed and personalized by homer hickam available by mail the homer hickam books here can be purchased and personalized, autographed and mailed to you. I, too, grew up in a rural area on a dirt road in the woods of nh.
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