Play Book Tag discussion

Rocket Boys – Homer Hickam
Book on CD read by Beau Bridges
4****

Homer Hickam Jr (a/k/a Sonny) grew up in Coalwood, West Virginia – a “company town” in built and owned by the mining company for whom his father worked. The only thing that mattered in that small town was coal and high school football. And Sonny hadn’t much interest in either. Sonny and his friends, fellow misfits, didn’t seem to have much future to look forward to, until their imaginations were ignited by watching the Soviet satellite Sputnik. They began with simple “kitchen experiments,” learned from their failures, improved their rockets and garnered the admiration and support of the town.

In his memoir, Hickam brings the residents of Coalwood to life. He shares stories of growing up, of high school football, a beloved teacher, unlikely allies, young love, and his mother’s determination that her boys would NOT go into that mine. All the “Rocket Boys” went to college, three of them in engineering. The town of Coalwood was eventually abandoned when the mine was closed and allowed to fill with water.

Beau Bridges does an excellent job voicing the audio book. He has great pacing and a delivery that is just perfect for this story.


LINK to my review

I'm glad you liked this as much as I did :), although I read it in print.