Homer s dad in october sky books

Now we coulda all been killed today, because you didnt have the sense to look up. The answers to those questions and a lot more are in homer hickam s new audiobook from rocket boys to october sky. He is the son of the mines superintendent, and has very different plans for his future then his father does. However, at the end of the book it starts to change as homer accepts the fact that sonny will follow his dreams no matter what and begins to support him. To write rocket boysoctober sky, homer had to dig very deep into his soul to bring back moments that he hadnt thought about for a very long time. Sonny and his father homer dont have the ideal fatherson bond in homer hickam jr. I dont, however, think this was the writers intention. Aug 11, 2016 this is one of my favorite scenes from the movie october sky. This was the movie version of the book rocket boys, written by homer hickam. October sky has just enough high jinks to keep it from turning into stonee. The reason he has a car was from a company settlement that went on before the book.

My father, homer hickam, was the mine superintendent, and our house was. October sky is a 1999 american biographical drama film directed by joe johnston and starring jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper, chris owen, and laura dern. After teen homer hickam sees sputnik race across the sky, he is determined to build rockets. What type of mathematics does sonny teach himself using his dad s books. In october sky, ike bykovski, a character who was a composite of real miners hickam knew, died in a mine accident after helping homer with his rockets.

Homer hickam won the praise of critics and the devotion of readers with his first two memoirs set in the hardscrabble mining town of coalwood, west virginia. Homer hickams memoir october sky is the story of homer and his love for rocketry. Homer is a natural great storyteller of his memories of his late teenage years. Set in 1957, here s my take on what should have happened once jake gyllenhaal s character was lectured in public after an experiment gone wrong then angrily sent. Hickam, the author of 17 books who still lives in huntsville after retiring from nasa, discussed during a. Nominated for the national book critics circle award, homer. Rocket boys by homer hickam book club discussion questions. Important people, mindsets, and events in october sky.

Homer even ends up launching the last rocket that goes 6 miles up in the sky. Do you think youd have been happy to live in coalwood in the late 1950 s. She inspires sonny to enter the science fair and gives him a book on how to build better rockets. October sky movie question quiz 100 pts 1 what experiment is homer doing. October sky is a film based on homer hickams determination to win a national science fair. A memoir is, as its title implies, a memory of longago events. Hickam is the younger of two brothers, and from the start we see that he and his father, real life john hickam as portrayed by chris cooper, will have a contentious relationship built in part by being similarly hard. However in october 1957, everything changes when the first artificial satellite, sputnik goes into orbit. Well one thing about october sky is that it shows a very bad father son relationship. Rocket boys by homer hickam, also called october sky, is the story of a young boy growing up coalwood, a west virginia mining town. Roy lee said, my daddy said the russians ate their own babies in the war and it was good the germans attacked them. October sky in a 1950s mining town, homer hickam is a kid with only one future in sight to work in the local coalmine like his father. Through homer hickam s marvelous memoirs, readers have been transported to coalwood, west virginia, of the late 1950s first in rocket boys made into the film october sky, then the coalwood way, and now sky of stone.

Filled with interesting characters, ideas and life lessons, it also has a lot of excellent quotes which encapsulate both the themes and ideas of the book as well as the tone of the time that the book was written in. Many schools from fifth grade to college are studying rocket boys october sky in their classrooms, including english, math, and science classes. October sky, by homer hiram, was published in 1999. The movie october sky is a heart moving story about homer hickam who was inspired to build a rocket and never gave up until his dreams became true. 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. Apr, 2011 in october sky, the final scene brings tears to my eyes every time. He is trying out new drill bits for coal mine productivity. One of the most beloved bestsellers in recent years, rocket boys is a uniquely american memoir. Entrepreneurship is a career path that doesnt always prove to be an instant success. Carrying albert home by homer hickam is the story of a classic love triangle. From escaping the mines of coalwood, west virginia by learning rocketry to becoming a nasa engineer, he speaks about a career which eventually added the title of bestselling author to the mix.

The books show the benefits of friendship, persevering in the face of incredible odds, and also the benefits of learning on your own. He likes to build rockets his dad doesnt want him to but his mom is ok with it as long as he does not blow himself up. But, homer rises to the occasion, much to the satisfaction of the reader. However, homer s father chris cooper takes a dim view of his son s interest in rockets and is convinced homer s future should be the same as his own, working in the local coal mines. Homers father obviously wants what is best for his son. As you read this memoir, did you begin to feel as if you knew the people involved. Chapter two talks about sonny s relationship with his father and jim, the launch of sputnik and the school in coalwood. Later, homer is inspired to read a book on rocket science. October sky looks like it might be one of those quiet movies that comes in but never really makes it.

From rocket boys to october sky audiobook by homer. I dont honestly know why, but here are the similarities and differences between the book october sky name changed from rocket boys and october sky. Do you think youd have been happy to live in coalwood in the late 1950s. Homer s dad would ask, and then proceed to spin a yarn about what happened on that trip. The author of torpedo junction, a military history book of the month club selection, as well as numerous articles for such publications as smithsonian air and space and american history illustrated, he is a nasa payload training manager for the international space program.

They vary from astronauts to coal miners to just about everybody, young and old. Bikovsky the first machinist to help the rocket boys into the mine as punishment, the town coalesced behind them. He takes his job very seriously, going out of his way to help miners in distress. Sonny and his father are far apart and jim has fought several times with sonny. Hickam is such a good writer, and although the book is based on their rocketary adventures, it s all interesting, from his.

He has a great sense of drama and believes that all of his books should be entertaining pageturners. Interestingly, october sky is an anagram of rocket boys, the same letters just moved around. Rocket boys by homer hickam the glass castle by jeannette walls crum by lee. In the movie, though, they changed his dad s name to john maybe the biggest. October sky summary and analysis rocket boys by homer hickam. It was 1957, and the small mining town of coalwood, west virginia, was slowly dying. During their entire adventure, homer s father, homer hickam sr. But an understanding of each other was probably laid for the foundation. This article will give you a chapter by chapter october sky summary. Originally titled the rocket boys when hickam wrote it in 1998, the book can also be found under the title october sky which was released in conjunction with the movie tiein in 1999. The introspective son of homer hickam, the mine superintendent, and elsie lavender hickam, a woman determined to get her sons out of coalwood forever, sonny gathered in five other boys and convinced them to help him. This commentary and discussion questions were written by linda terry hickam, assistant and wife. Rocket boys also published under the title october sky. Since, in the books epilogue, homer s narrative summarizes his life since that maturing summer of 61, i assume that sky of stone is to be the last in the coalwood series, which has been a.

When universal made the movie, however, they changed quite a bit. Not all fathers and sons click, though, and thats certainly the case for homer hickam, jr. What is the name of the novel october sky is based on. He is trying to build a rocket that can fly into the air successfully. October sky movie clips for teaching and sermon video.

In october, news of the soviet union s rocket launch of sputnik 1 reaches coalwood. His father was killed in a mine accident and has a car. October sky 511 movie clip gift from miss riley 1999. Teenager homer sonny hickam just wants to build rockets. Jake gyllenhaal stars as homer hickam, the real life subject and author of the book rocket boys, that is october sky s story. And honestly im sure in real life homer hickem and his father were not fully healed at all. My favorite part of the book is at the very end when his dad.

The main character, homer is prepared to launch his final rocket as a thank you to those who helped him. Quotations by homer hickam, american author, born february 19, 1943. One would think that s okay, but it s hard for homer. I first came across this book after watching the film october sky, that is based on the book. They were his ticket out of coalwood, west virginia, a mining town that everyone knew was dyingeveryone except sonny s father, the mine superintendent and a. I thought the film was amazing but this is even better.

Homer believes that this book is in reality his fathers book. October sky 1999 jake gyllenhaal as homer hickam imdb. Michelle thompson october sky september 30, 2012 professor bejtlich the movie october sky is about homer hickam who was inspired to build a rocket and never gave up until his dreams became a reality. A memoir was published by delacorte press in september 1998 and. This is the true story that inspired the feature film october sky. This lesson will take a closer look at their complicated relationship, and how it affects.

Another important person in october sky was freida riley, sonny s science teacher. Although little is said about the cold war in the book october sky it still plays a big role in homer hickam s life throughout the book. Its 1961, homer s first year of college done he s having problems with his grades except english. To find out what had happened to my dad, i visited the hospital where he. A numberone new york times bestseller in mass market, brought to the screen in the acclaimed film october sky, homer hickam s memoir, nominated for the national book critics circle award, comes to trade paperback with an allnew photo insert. October sky i think is a very bad book but it is also a ok book because of some of these quality things. 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 hope in a. It was originally published under the title rocket boys in 1998.

With that event, homer becomes inspired to learn how to build rockets. This readers group guide for homer hickams october sky is designed to stimulate discussion and enhance the readers appreciation of this exceptional book. 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. I can imagine homer hickam sitting somewhere trying to come up with the best way to describe the dread he felt towards working in the mine, i personally enjoy reading memoirs because it s not an autobiography that s like hey here s some general stuff about me but rather a personal interpretation of the. He is trying to build an airplane to fly into the air successfully.

When it appears that jim will receive a football scholarship to attend college, this leaves homer to fulfill his father s dream, although his mother, elsie natalie canerday, hopes for more for her son. As homer spoke to the crowd that assembled, he thanked his friends, his math teacher, his mother, etc. If ever an opportunity was missed in a period piece movie to show a stern father giving his reckless teenaged son a welldeserved spanking, that moment was in the film, october sky. Homer hickam was a teenage boy from a mining town in west virginia called coalwood. It rests on the bedrock of homer seniors strong, deep beliefs in the town and its. Entrepreneurship is a field that involves determination, passion, vision, and the power to succeed. Homer drops out of high school to work in the mine and provide for his family while his father recovers. This reader s group guide for homer hickam s october sky is designed to stimulate discussion and enhance the reader s appreciation of this exceptional book. Hickams other books, the coalwood way, and sky of stone both give even more insight, and are also great reads. Sonny and his father also have a communication problem since neither of them want to talk to each other. In a 1950s mining town, homer hickam is a kid with only one future in sight to work in the local coalmine like his father. Homer then convinced the supervisor of another mine machine shop to make the nozzles and homer s father permitted company time and company materials to be used.

Homers mother, elsie lavender hickam, is supportive of homers projects. Here are a few quotes relating to the cold war within the book. I want you out of this mine, and dont you ever come back, you stupid son of a bitch. 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. Throughout the book, their relationship goes through quite a few ups and downs. A spanking in october, an october sky fanfic fanfiction. Jake gyllenhaal and the film october sky matt lynn digital. October sky looks like it might be one of those quiet movies that comes in but never really makes it big, but i hope that i am wrong. Homer hickams family in october sky family motivators. From rocket boys to october sky audiobook by homer hickam. Here we have pinpoint acting, marvelous directing, and an inspiring story about tolerance and following your dreams. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. It is through this struggle that a lot of the growth is shown between both homer and his father throughout the movie.

Sonny wants to build rockets, homer wants his son to work in the mine. Rocket boysoctober sky by homer hickam if you are a 14yearold boy living in a west virginia mining town in the 1950s, your horizon is defined by the age worn appalachian peaks enclosing your valley. October sky reaching for your dreams is like looking at the sunday newspaper comics, if you look from a far, you see the big picture, but if you look close, all you see are a bunch of dots put together. Fifteen years since the debut of october sky, based on homer hickams rocket boys. Oct 14, 2015 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. Homer never knows who s going to show up in his autograph lines to tell him how much they enjoyed this book. He inspired to build rockets when he seen the first. If there is one, just one thing that was monumentally historic in this book. October sky questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on october sky.