Homer Hickam is the #1 New York Times best-selling author whose life inspired the critically acclaimed film October Sky. In The Coalwood Way he returns to his childhood home of Coalwood, West Virginia for an inspiring memoir about growing up in a town that's slowly fading away. Homer and his close buddies, who call themselves the Rocket Boys, are high school seniors in 1959. Their rocket building experiments amaze the locals, thanks to top-quality moonshine for fuel, "liberated" materials, and Homer's self-taught understanding of higher math. But no matter how brilliant their experiments are, they can do little to help preserve Coalwood's way of life. With the coal mine on its last legs, prospects for the town are unpredictable at best. For anyone who's ever dreamed of greatness or wondered what an uncertain future might bring, this book will seem warmly familiar. Frank Muller's affectionate narration captures both the spirit of ambition and the spectre of gloomy prospects.
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"I thought this book was an excellent story of small town life in a West Virginia mining town during the 1950's. I grew up in a small town in Florida, yet could relate to Hickam's humor and description of Coalwood's activities. I liked reading a chapter/night and enjoyed the pace of the story and the memoir style." — Jane (5 out of 5 stars)
"I thought this book was an excellent story of small town life in a West Virginia mining town during the 1950's. I grew up in a small town in Florida, yet could relate to Hickam's humor and description of Coalwood's activities. I liked reading a chapter/night and enjoyed the pace of the story and the memoir style."
“Hickam’s unvarnished portrait of Coalwood covers class warfare (union miners battling with his authoritarian father), provincial narrow-mindedness (the local ladies scorn a young woman living outside wedlock with a man who abuses her), and endless gossiping along the picket “fence line.” These sharp details make the unabashed sentiment of the book’s closing chapters feel earned rather than easy.”
" I really enjoyed this book about life from the perspective of a teen-age boy in coal mining town. It seemed very honest. "
" i just finished it !! awesome "
" Sequel to Rocket Boys/October Sky and my favorite of Homer Hickham's Coalwood Series. "
" Very well done. A mix of October Sky and other stories of his life. A very good read. Enjoyed it very much. Loved the squirrel parts! "
" This is a good book showing how kids in a coal mining area want to get away and not be miners. These seniors want more. This is the way I felt when I wanted to get away from the town where my family grew up and stayed, working in the coal mines and staying around close to family members. "
" I really liked this book. Another book club selection, it reminded me a lot of what my grandparents must have dealth with in their life with the railroad. "
" If you liked the "Rocket Boys," you'll like this book. It tells the story of his boyhood town and it's people; their heartbreaks, sorrows and joys. Their lives are very interesting. "
" I really enjoyed the Coalwood series of books. They are autobiographical books about Homer Hickham's youth in West Virginia. "
" A sequel to Rocket Boys (October Sky). More engaging and moving stories from growing up in the mining company town of Coalwood, West Virginia. "
" While I didn't find it as engaging as Sky of Stone, it definitely picked up steam as it went and was a great read. If you liked Rocket Boys or Sky of Stone, you'll enjoy this. I'm giving all three as a gift to my dad for Christmas - don't tell! "
" a fantastic sequel to an already fantastic story and must read to anyone that has lived in the shadows of the Appalachian mountains "
" This is not as good as his others. He was mainly trying to appease people who were left out of Rocket Boys, I think. "
" Enjoyable read, although not as good as "Rocket Boys" (aka October Sky). "
" I loved this memoir of Homer Hickam growing up in a small mining community. I read the author's other novel October Sky and enjoyed it as well. "
" Having loved "Rocket Boys" I was a bit disappointed in this entry in the series as I almost felt it was a redressing of story lines already touched upon in Rocket Boys; but still enjoyed it as I love Hickam's writing. "
" Must read after Rocket Boys! "
" I haven't read any of Homer Hickam's fiction books yet, but I've loved his memoirs. What a great storyteller. "
" This memoir covers a lot of the same ground as October Sky but lets the reader in on Homer's personal and home life. "
" Great story based on Homer Hickam's childhood. "
" My third Homer Hickham book. I still like the way he writes! "
" Since my Dad is from West Virginia, and my Grandpa was a coal miner, I found this book intriguing. Such a different life from the one I live in Ohio! "
" This book by Homere H. Hickam is a memoir about the rocket boys of Coalwood Virignia in the 50s and 60s. It was really a good book. It was amazing how fast things changed in this small town and how their community pulled istself together. "
" Good, but his first was better. "
" I read this for my bookclub "
" Any book that makes me laugh and cry gets 5 stars. "
" Another fantastic book by Hickam. Really enjoyed it. "
" Hickam is also the author of Rocket Boys/October Sky. In this book, the author tells more about his life in Coalwood, a mining town in West Virginia. This was a good book, but some of it was a repeat of Rocket Boys. "
Homer Hickam is the author of the New York Times bestseller Rocket Boys, which was made into the acclaimed movie October Sky. He has also authored the military history bestseller Torpedo Junction, along with several other popular historical and science fiction novels. A respected amateur historian, scuba expedition leader, and military veteran, he continues to write using his personal experience and history for creative material.
Frank Muller (1951–2008) was an Audie Award–winning narrator. A classically trained actor, Frank appeared on both television and the stage. His credits include Hamlet, The Crucible, The Taming of the Shrew, The Importance of Being Earnest, Law & Order, All My Children, and many, many more. In 1999 Frank was awarded the AudioFile Lifetime Achievement Award, the top honor in the audiobook community. He has also won twenty-three Earphones Awards.
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