Homer hickam characteristics in october sky book

Sonny is a dynamic character, changing much throughout the novel. This article will give you a chapter by chapter october sky summary. October sky, originally published as rocket boys, tells the story of how the author decided to build. Do you think youd have been happy to live in coalwood in the late 1950s. This is the true story that inspired the feature film october sky. Coalwood is in a small town and the main activity is coal mining. 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. October sky by homer hickam pdf free download ebook. 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. The reason he has a car was from a company settlement that went.

October sky, the screen adaptation of hickams memoir rocket boys, stars actor jake gyllenhaal as hickam. Homer hickam talks about building rockets and the october sky festival 3 of 3. Chapterbychapter october sky summary rocket boys by. As you read this memoir, did you begin to feel as if you knew the people involved.

Initially, homer does not have the confidence or support to ignite his talent and achieve his desires. Faced with an uncertain future, homer hickam nurtured a dream. October sky what are characteristics of homer hickam. What is the most significant thing homer hickam does in. How the classic memoir rocket boys was written and the hit movie october sky was made by homer hickam goodreads author 4. But hickam is also the author of several other books, crossing many genres and. October sky, novel units student packet, grades 912 9781588174 by homer hickam.

Rocket boys have you ever read a book and later watched the movie version only to find out that they are completely different. As a young boy, his imagination was excited by reading such science fiction writers as jules verne, robert heinlein, and isaac asimov and by the historic launching of the soviet unions sputnik i satellite in 1957 when he. Faced with an uncertain future, sonny hickam aka homer hickam, jr. This even happens when the book is a true story, as in the case of october sky by homer hickam. 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. During the course of the book, homer, inspired by read full character analysis homer hickam sr. He is a vietnam veteran, a scuba instructor, a retired rocket scientist, and an amateur paleontologist. The young narrator and protagonist of rocket boys, homer hickam, jr. Rocket boys, october sky homer hickam collectspace. A presentation of the true, inspiring story of a gifted child. I need to know 10 character traits of homer hickam from the film october sky. Homer hickam, author of october sky, signs with gravity. Get an answer for describe homer hickam in detail in october sky. You probably know homer hickam from his book rocket boys and the movie, october sky.

Homer hickam wants to fallow his dreams and be successful in his dads eyes, through the flying of rockets. The main form of conflicts in october sky are man vs. She was a student teacher and coordinater for the science fair. Homer has always hoped for a better life than his father had. It is mostly a true story though the author admits to taking some license about homer hickam, jr. Hickam s other books, the coalwood way, and sky of stone both give even more insight, and are also great reads. He graduated from big creek high school in 1960 and from the virginia polytechnic institute virginia tech in 1964 with a bs degree in industrial engineering. This readers group guide for homer hickam s october sky is designed to stimulate discussion and enhance the readers appreciation of this exceptional book 1. Part comingofage, part exploration of a bygone community and way of life, part treatise. 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 and lives in huntsville, alabama. Rocket boys, the homer hickam autobiography that became the movie october sky, is the book the library has chosen for the program. Hickam has been a coal miner, vietnam combat veteran, scuba instructor, nasa engineer, and now a bestselling author. Homer hickam is an excellent writer and this is a heartwarming story of his passion for science and the circumstances that shaped his future. In the book rocket boys, the main character is always called sonny.

It is mostly a true story though the author admits to taking some license about. As marvelous as the film is, the memoir, october sky soars above it. To restate winners view of gifted characteristics, gifted children are the following. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Please list at least three which lead him to achieving his dream please. Sonnys older brother, jim hickam, excels at football and expects to get a college football scholarship. Homer who is called sonny by everybody he knows is the main character, and the story is told by him, looking back on his time in high school and on his experience building rockets at that time. This readers group guide for homer hickams october sky is designed to stimulate discussion and enhance the readers appreciation of this exceptional book. In homer hickams book, october sky and the film adaptation by joe johnstun, the main character sonny hickam is portrayed differently. Homer hickams memoir october sky is the story of homer and his love for rocketry during the space race. Jimmy odell carroll is small and excitable, the most emotional member of the group. He was born in coalwood, west virginia to homer and elsie hickam.

Now homer hickam continues his extraordinary story with sky of stone, dazzling us with exquisite storytelling as he takes us back to that remarkable small town we first came to know and love in october sky. Sky of stone, the third installment of hickams memoirs, is a brilliant book. It received so much acclaim and interest, he was asked to write a book detailing the whole story. Sonny, however, is terrible at sports and has no special skill that would get him out of coalwood. The story is about a young man who gets inspired to build his own rocket and become a scientist after witnessing the passage of sputnik i over the united states in october 1957. October sky, novel units student packet, grades 912. Quentin wilson is the most intelligent member of the rocket boys and the person who does figures out most of the math in the group. 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 1957, the year sputnik raced across the appalachian sky, and the small town of coalwood, west virginia, was slowly dying. Rocket boys characters from litcharts the creators of. The true story, originally published as rocket boys, that inspired the universal pictures film. The most significant thing homer does is to pursue and continue the vision that exists in his mind, and in the subjective experiences of the rocket boys. This book inspired the movie october sky it is the type of book i will be lending to everyone. Throughout october, the library will sponsor book discussions, films and activities for all ages all focused around the reading of the book.

In the summer of 61, homer sonny hickam, a year of college behind him, was dreaming of sandy beaches and rocket ships. Homer sonny hickam the author of the book and the main character, sonny is the young man who, in rocket boys october sky by homer hickam monkeynotes by. It was 1957, and the small mining town of coalwood, west virginia, was slowly dying. Homer hickam hickam was born in coalwood, west virginia, on february 19, 1943, the second son of homer, a coal mine superintendent, and elise gardener lavender 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 t.

Homer hickam you probably know the name from october sky, the movie based on his memoir, rocket boys. Homers family is an important element in the story. The story takes place in a small coal mining town in west virginia from 1957 on. While most of coalwoods residents dont believe in his rocket projects, homer and his motley crew of scientist friends tenaciously go it alone with some help from their teacher, miss riley. Rocket boys by homer hickam, also called october sky, is the story of a young boy growing up coalwood, a west virginia mining town.