Paco: The cat who meowed in space

by Homer Hickam

Homer Hickam, author of the memoir Rocket Boys (made into the movie October Sky), recalls his first years as a NASA engineer while also telling the story of his fluffy black and white cat Paco who had the magic ability to make people smile and give them hope. But when Paco was struck down by a disease that left him unable to walk, Hickam was faced with a terrible decision, let his beloved cat live in misery or put him to sleep. Before that decision could be made, the space mission Hickam was working on needed to be rescued and there was only one sure way to save it: Paco's magic meow! This is a true story of the space age that is also a delightful tale of the love between an engineer and his cat.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Science, Memoir

43 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Homer Hickam (also known as Homer H. Hickam, Jr.) is the author of many best-sellers including his latest, Don't Blow Yourself Up. An eclectic writer, he wrote the "Coalwood Series," which includes the # 1 New York Times best-selling memoir Rocket Boys, (made into the ever-popular movie October Sky) the World War II-era "Josh Thurlow" series, the juvenile sci-fi "Crater" series, the adult thriller The Dinosaur Hunter, the romantic Red Helmet, and many others. Among his many writing awards are the University of Alabama's Clarence Cason Award and the Appalachian Heritage Writer's Award plus an honorary Doctorate of Literature from Marshall University. For more information on Mr. Hickam and his books and cats and everything else, please go to http://www.homerhickam.com.

Reviews

[Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet little story, only offset by the smugness of the author.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this kindle single for something quick to read. I initially thought it was going to be a story of a cat. But instead it was a fascinating memoir into Hickam's years at NASA. I couldn't put it down. Hickam is a natural storyteller. A previous reviewer described it as "boring". If you have even the slightest interest in NASA, you will definitely not find this book boring!!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a hard book to rate. It's a selection of anecdotes from NASA engineer Homer Hickam, which to varying degrees relate to his cat, Paco. The highlight is how Paco's meows help a sick astronaut feel better, thus allowing her to continue performing experiments on the Spacelab. Paco's claim to fame was he was the first cat whose meows were heard in space. While the anecdotes are cute, there's not a lot of meat to this 40 page book. Hickam is also the author of Rocket Boys, which was turned into the movie October Sky. Given the book's popularity, I assume it was put out by a major publishing house, not independently publishing loke Paco was. Paco definitely would have benefited from an attentive editor, as the book contains some significant errors: "I decided also to put one him in my novel....".; an incorrect number of victims mentioned in the 1984 sinking of the paddlewheel boat SCItanic; as well as numerous smallmissues involving commas and hyphen use. Still, it was a kind of cute story about a cat, so there's that. And I did learn some things about space shuttles.

[Kim S Parsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short book by Homer Hickam, scientist of “October Sky” fame.

In this book he describes his early times at NASA- he was a junior engineer, through the Challenger disaster, and his later work with the space labs.

He also has one story about his cat, Paco.

The behind-the-scenes at NASA was interesting- hos life is interesting, but the Paco story, while good, could have been told in about 2 pages (out of 67).

I rated it low because I got this thinking it would be a book about a cat. Instead it’s a book about working for NASA with about 2 pages about his cat. Interesting, but not the funny/sweet cat story I was expecting.

[Michele Pfrogner · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not necessarily entirely about Paco, Hickam's "magical" cat, this short memoir is still informative and entertaining. I taught Hickam's Rocket Boys before I retired, so I continue to enjoy reading anything about the author's life. As a cat lover myself, I appreciate the significance of Hickam's kitty, and the joy and wonder Paco brought to his owner, and others, including "lonely" astronauts in space.

[Hillary Hickam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adored this book!!!!!! Incredibly captivating with the details of the space program, and the story of the cat was poignant and touching. This is a wonderful writer! Am I biased because I am related to him? Maybe.... but if you love animals, and LOVE hearing about NASA like I do, you can’t help but adore this book. My only complaint is that it was too short!

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, just have the tissues handy

Good short read , got thru most of it on a plane ride. My only complaint was towards the end of the book it must have gotten dusty on the plane since there seemed to be something in my eyes .

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

will review later

[andrew p frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet!

Another classic if short story from a really nice human being. As nine more words are required I better write

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amusing little gem from Homer Hickam. Due to a few moments in the book I do not recommend it for children, but it is a fun little read.

[Morgan Beldyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something about Mr. Hickam's memoirs make me feel like I know him; like I'm not reading a book but having a conversation with a friend. I'm not exactly sure it was brilliant literature, but as someone who was a huge and avid fan of his works when I was younger, reading it made me feel like I was catching up with a beloved family member I hadn't seen in several years. I was a huge fan of Back to the Moon back in the day, and I loved the fictional Paco in that book, so it was nice to read the story of the real Paco. If you're not otherwise a fan of Hickam's works this is probably not a good place to start, but I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless. I also was comforted by the fact that he did not join NASA right after he finished college, as that means maybe there's hope for the rest of us to realize our high school dreams, albeit a bit later than intended.

[Marcia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I admit, I got this book because it was a cheapie Amazon Kindle version. I read it -- skipping over many parts because they were boring -- and found it to be self indulgent and basically not much ado about anything. The man loves cats. OK. He also loves to tell us about what a great author he is and how he has written a "classic memoir." OK. What else is happening? Not much. Precious little suspense here, but perhaps I will not be spoiling anyone's pleasure by saying that the cat did not actually go into space - so the title is just a teensy bit misleading. Hickam's writing style borders on being childish - at least in the two books i've read. It worked for Rocket Boys because the story is about kids. Not so much here. Basically, a rather flimsy excuse to publish a rather trival story.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet. As a cat lover, I love how much the author loves his cats. The "space stuff" was interesting, but was a bit technical and legnthy for a memoir about a cat meowing in space.

Paco looks like a long haired version of my George. I must warn you, although Paco lived a long life, the story of his life is in the 80s and 90s, and so you will read about Paco's death. This part was heart wrenching for me, and made me think of my past furry loves. Don't worry, its not too much on his end.....mostly about how special he was in life.

[Ericka]

I've just started this book, but Paco is emotionally and intellectually related to my cat Toes. So far everything said about Paco is the same type of things that were said about Toes and it really lifts my spirits to not only see that there are more cats like that out there, but that there are wonderful owners like Hickam for them. I would love to meet the man. So far everything, but the war, that he has done is what I would have loved to have done. I can't wait to finish.

[Pixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable short book about how cats can always make you feel better, even if you're in space. I lost interest a bit during the sections containing a lot of technical stuff about rockets but I still liked the book a great deal overall.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super fast read. I had to give 4 stars because anyone who writes a book about their cat is great as far as I'm concerned! Who knew that a NASA space engineer could be such a cat lover. I enjoyed reading about Paco, the friendly black & white fluffy cat, & I learned a little about space too!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short (1036 locations on the Kindle) memoir of Hickam's days as a NASA engineer in the 80's. While his relationship with his "magic cat" runs through the story, the focus is more on the people side of things. Still, very interesting and well worth the read.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was okay. not the greatest writing ever, quite a few typos. an interesting history of a few years of the shuttle program and spacelab. not enough about the kitty!


and of course the kitty died in the end, which is always very sad :(

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the way this book is written; it flows nicely. I found this book on Amazon for free and couldn't resist downloading it. I think this is one of those short books that's available to those who can read on a digital reader.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

For such a quick little book,it took me forever to finish. I was bored and personally do not care about NASA terminology.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute little Homer Hickam story. I think he was transitioning from his phenomenal "Rocket Boys" (aka "October Sky") and toward fiction.

[Laura Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author wrote October Sky, which was amazing and a book we read at school with the kids in science about rockets. Fast read, was on Amazon "cheap" kindle list, but enjoyable.

[Thomas Falgout · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paco, the cat that made this human cry

A short, funny and heartwarming story about a cat with a unique tale. And the owner with a great tail. (The cat)

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, simple story that takes us into the NASA Space Shuttle program, the lives of its engineers, and a cat who helped with a surprising task. Fun for pet lovers and science buffs alike.

[Savannah Ponder · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not the story I expected, it was an interesting short story read that made me think differently and question some information on STS that I have so often studied.

[Roberta Westwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Purrr

What a charming little book… and I ♥️ this little cat. Lots to enjoy in this book for NASA fans and cat lovers alike. Treat your inner astronaut to this 🐈‍⬛ tail. Oops, tale.