October Sky by Homer Hickam

“October Sky” by Homer Hickam: October Sky was written by Homer Hickam. Describes Homer growing up in the small mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia. He became fascinated with rockets and began the BCMA (Big Creek Missile Agency), to make rockets and discover what made them fly. Written as an autobiography about his life. The story takes place in a small coal mining town in West Virginia from 1957 on. The main form of conflicts in October Sky are man vs. man. Homer Hickam wants to fallow his dreams and be successful in his dad’s eyes, through the flying of rockets.

Homer Hickam Jr. is the main character in the book October Sky. He grows up in a small coal mining town in West Virginia. He is not good at football like his brother Jim, but he wants to find a way to go to collage and not have to work in the coal mine. “When I wasn’t outside playing , I spent hours happily reading.” (12) When he gets older he realizes that he does not want to live in the mining town for the rest of his life. I like Homer(Sonny) because we are both interested in rockets and have a lot of similarities.

Quintin is the genius in the of the BCMA. He always uses big words and read all the books he could find on everything from math to science. He helps the others in the group research and find out scientific ways to make black powder and eventually rockets. “So what do you know about rockets?” I asked him. “Anything”. “I know everything.”(72) He does not change much threw the book, he in just the eccentric science member of the BCMA. I feel that without him the BCMA would never have made their rockets as precise.

Homer Hickam is the father of Homer Jr. the main character of the book. Homer Sr. was the superintendent of the coal mine in Coalwood. His opinion about the rockets are contradicting to those of Homer Jr’s. Later in the book he discovers that he will not be able to stop Homer Jr. from making rockets, so he gives up trying to stop him. I felt that he put his work at the mine before everything else, which I did not like.

Through out most of the book, Homer and his dad do not agree on rockets. Sonny wants to fly rockets and learn about them. While his dad wants him to find a hobby that will not effect his position at the mine. Another time, Sonny wants to use rockets to get money for collage. While his dad wants him to work in the mine. These conflicts come up many times during the book October Sky.

Homer Sr. is injured while working in the mine. Homer has to go work in the mine to make money. While he is working he teaches himself calculus. Eventually he can stop working and he goes back to school. He works hard to learn all he can so that he does not have to go back to working in the mine.

The rocket boys win the national science fair. O’Dell , Billy and Roy Lee went into the Air Force. Sherman’s parents had come up with some money for collage. Quentin did not get his scholarship, but decided that if some boys from McDowell County, West Virginia, could win a prize at the National Science Fair then he would find a way to get money to pay for his collage, even though he had no money. Homer got the Elsie Hickam scholarship and went to Virginia Polytechnic Institute. If you a dream you should fallow it, and use all your talents to make it happen. Pursuing your dream, is not going to be easy, but it is possible to do big things if you work hard.

I liked the book October Sky. It was very fun to read, it had lots of details without getting drawn out and boring. It remind me that almost anything is possible if you work hard at it. Yes, I think that almost anyone would like this book. It has a wide variety of characters that people could identify with. October Sky describes how Homer Hickam became fascinated with rockets and decided to make them. Homer Hickam wants to fallow his dreams and be successful in his dad’s eyes, through the flying of rockets.

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