I'm sad to report that this is my final post for my outside reading project. I have just recently finished October Sky and for my last thoughts on the book, I've decided to write a review type thing.
October Sky by Homer Hickam
Homer is a simple boy from Coalwood, West Virginia whose destiny has always been the mine. His dad is the superintendent and it seems perfectly natural for Homer to go down beneath the earth where he belongs, where any Coalwood boy belongs. But everything changes when Sputnik is launched. For the first time in Coalwood history, there are people who care more about something else rather than high school football and the mine. From that, the Rocket Boys are born. Even though people had little hope in them at first, the Rocket Boys proved everyone wrong and became a sensation in the dreary town of Coalwood when it seemed nothing would be the same again. The Rocket Boys kept the town together through the troubles of the mine and proved to everyone that just because they are from West Virginia, it doesn't mean they can't accomplish something. They showed the people of Coalwood that there are other ways to live life besides breathing in coal dust and getting a football scholarship. They brought joy and hope to Coalwood and influenced others to help them in their journey. There was Miss Riley, their science teacher who first inspired the Rocket Boys to entire the science fair. Mr Caton, their main machinists who built and manufactured the many rockets the boys launched. Elsie Hickam, Homer's mom, who always wished for her son to find a way out of Coalwood. Mr. Turner, the principal of Big Creek High School, who gave the Rocket Boys a chance and in turn, they brought Big Creek fame and respect. And lastly, Homer's dad, who may have had a rocky relationship with his son, but who also knew that it was Homer's rocket building that kept the town, and even their family, together at the most dire of times. Each Rocket Boy went on to leave the dying town of Coalwood and attend college. They achieved their dreams of not only winning the science fair, but of going into space as well. As their rockets raced across the sky, it took with them not only the dreams and hopes of the Rocket Boys, but of Coalwood, of McDowell County, and of those that join Homer in his journey to show the world that anyone is capable of reaching their dreams, even a boy from Coalwood, West Virginia.
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3 comments:
hey amy-
i think you did a great job of wrapping up your book. your summary gave a complete view of October Sky, even if it did give away the ending (that's ok though). i was just wondering some of your thoughts on what made Homer and the Rocket Boys so special. do you think it was an innate quality of theirs? perhaps their teacher and friends who encouraged them and pushed them to succeed? maybe their environment, which was so stifilying to anything creative, that vacuum in a way motivated the boys to be something different, to break out from the mold. in other words, there has to be something to rebel against for someone to rebel. do you think that homer's father's restrictions in their own way contributed to homer's cause? just a couple of random thoughts. great job!
sarah
Haha, my profile has more views than yours.
...So, great job on the recap of the book. I think you hit some of the main points of the book and the symbolism of the rocket. Going off of what Sarah said, do you think "The Rocket Boys" would have had been the "Rocket" Boys if they hadn't seen Sputnik? Would they have found another medium through which to express themselves and demonstrate their talents? Also, do you think that if Homer's Dad had been more supportive of Homer, Homer still would have built rockets? Or, as Sarah hinted at, is it the oppressive environment that feeds him?
-Tom
I love the story of October Sky,it's so inspirational! Your thoughts were extremely insightful and really showed how deep you connected with the story of October Sky.
Lucia
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