An Out-of-this-World Read (Rocket Boys)

I picked up Homer J. Hickam's Rocket Boys at a charity shop near my office on my lunch hour. I had finished the book I was reading on the way to work that morning and needed something to read on the way home. I had no previous knowledge of the novel, but it caught my eye because it billed itself as a "true story." The Stand-By-Me-esque blurb on the back cover was fairly intriguing so I paid my £1.50 hoping I'd made a good choice.

My humble expectations of a book I'd never heard of were immediately exceeded. For someone whose profession is rocket engineering, Hickam is an outstanding writer. In fact, his writing is far superior to some writers who write for a living (I'm not going to name any names... Dan Brown).

Rocket Boys is Hickam's story of his adolesence during the late 50's and early 60's in the mining town of Coalwood, West Virgina. Inspired by spotting Sputnik fly over his modest village, Hickam and a group of male friends form a rocket club. This memoir follows the ups and downs of the club, as well as of the town as the US economy changes.

I firmly believe that in years to come Rocket Boys could (and should) find its way onto high school reading lists across the US. It is a truthful, enigmatic glimpse into the space-race era and presents a lasting image of life in a coal-mining town. Plus, it's been made into a movie called October Sky which suits the modern American teaching style of reading the book and then watching the film.

I am 22 and I adored this book. I am going to buy a copy (not from the charity shop) of this for my dad for Father's Day because I know it will bring back fond memories of his childhood. It is classic books that bridge generations and readerships, and I firmly believe that Rocket Boys is a modern classic.