October Sky · The Rocket Boys of Coalwood
Read and watch
The memoir, the film, and the other books Homer Hickam has written, with what parents may want to know before sharing them.
The book: Rocket Boys (also sold as October Sky)
Homer Hickam's memoir was published by Delacorte Press in 1998. After the film came out, the paperback took the film's title, so libraries and stores may list it as Rocket Boys, October Sky, or both. It is also available as an e-book, in large print and as an audiobook.
Who it's for: books carry no official rating. Rocket Boys was written for adults and is widely read in high schools and community reading programs. It is frank about life in a mining town, including a death in the mine and hard times in the family. Parents of younger readers may want to read it first, or read it together.
Where to find it: most public libraries have it. Search your library's catalog, or find it in libraries near you on WorldCat. Homer Hickam's website has discussion questions for reading groups and classes.
The film: October Sky (1999)
Universal Pictures, directed by Joe Johnston, released February 19, 1999. It runs about 108 minutes.
Rated PG by the Motion Picture Association, for language, brief teen sensuality and alcohol use, and some thematic elements.
Common Sense Media suggests it for ages 10 and up. Its review notes some strong language and milder swearing; some drinking, including a character who drinks too much; a boy beaten by his stepfather; a mine cave-in and a brief look at a body; a gunshot through a window that hurts no one; rocket test accidents; and talk of kissing and flirting, with nothing shown. It also praises the film's messages of curiosity, hard work, perseverance and following your dreams, and the father's love for his son beneath their conflict.
Where to find it: on DVD and Blu-ray, and to rent or buy from the major streaming stores; Universal's October Sky page lists where. Many libraries lend the DVD. Which services stream it changes over time.
Before or after? You can watch the film first and then read the book to meet all six boys and the rest of the story. See The real story for what the film changed.
The Coalwood books
Homer Hickam wrote more about his hometown after Rocket Boys.
- Rocket Boys (1998): the memoir; Sputnik to the 1960 science fair.
- The Coalwood Way (2000): a second memoir of his Coalwood boyhood.
- Sky of Stone (2001): the summer of 1961, home from his first year of college, working in the mine.
- We Are Not Afraid (2002): lessons for living without fear, drawn from life in Coalwood.
- From Rocket Boys to October Sky: how the book became the film, with photos from the set.
- Don't Blow Yourself Up (2021): a later memoir about the forty years after the Rocket Boys, from college and Vietnam to training astronauts.
His other books
- Torpedo Junction (1989): history; the U-boat battle off the U.S. East Coast in World War II. His first book.
- Back to the Moon (1999): his first novel.
- The Josh Thurlow novels: The Keeper's Son (2003), The Ambassador's Son (2005) and The Far Reaches (2007), set in World War II.
- Red Helmet (2008)
- My Dream of Stars (2010): written with Anousheh Ansari, about her life and her trip to space.
- The Dinosaur Hunter (2010)
- The Helium-3 books: Crater, Crescent and The Lunar Rescue Company, novels set on the Moon.
- Carrying Albert Home (2015): a novel about a young couple and their unusual pet on a 1,000-mile trip.
See the full list on Homer Hickam's website.
Learn the math the boys learned in Rocket Boys Math and Physics, a Physics Ladder course.