A memoir in 1998 and the premiere of the movie october sky in 1999, many of my readers and fans have wondered 1 how and why i wrote the book, and 2 how the movie was made. Posted jul 23, 2014 reel vs real, october sky and rocket boys 7. This article will give you a chapter by chapter october sky summary. October sky, originally published as rocket boys, tells the. October sky is a 1999 american biographical drama film directed by joe johnston, starring jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper, chris owen, and laura dern. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading from rocket boys to october sky kindle single. The story is that of homer hickham jr, or sonny as he is known in the story, and his friends as they band together to. Homer and his family live in coalwood, a coal mining community, his dad is a supervisorforeman at the local mine, this is the only life his dad, family has known. Interestingly, october sky is an anagram of rocket boys, the same letters just moved around.
Free october sky study unit worksheets for teachers to print. From rocket boys to october sky connected the two for me. The books show the benefits of friendship, persevering in the face of incredible odds, and also the benefits of learning on your own. This is an adult book, but it is told from a young mans point of view. From rocket boys to october sky kindle single kindle edition by hickam, homer. The proper title of the book, however, is and always shall be rocket boys. This even happens when the book is a true story, as in the case of october sky by homer hickam. Homer hickam, john hickam, miss riley, quentin, odell what did the boys name their launch site.
Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on litcharts. Like giving them a book on rocketry, and showing them new materials for rocket fuel to name a few. Homer hickams memoir, october sky, tells the story of how he got started building. The movie october sky demonstrates the high five principles very well. Instant downloads of all 1291 litchart pdfs including rocket boys. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. It is also available in abridged audio book, electronic book, large print, and is a readers digest condensed book. Ike bykovsky is a man who worked in the machine shop for the company until he got involved with sonny and making rockets, after that he was sent to operate. Joe johnstons sentimental film, based on nasa engineer homer hickams autobiographical the rocket boys, is a largely breezy, uplifting picture.
In the film, homer said he thought his father sent mr. The movie first starts off with homer hickam, a boy who grows up in a town called coalwood during the 1950s. Rocket boys and this mass market paperback titled october sky are the same book. Coalwood is in a small town and the main activity is coal mining. Jimmy odell carroll is small and excitable, the most emotional member of the group. The title of the paperback released at the same time was changed to the movie title, which is an anagram of rocket boys take the letters of rocket boys and move them around to spell october sky. This felt like a madefortv movie script made for a low budget cable network. He is the son of the mines superintendent, and has very different plans for his future then his father does. October sky is about a young man who believes in himself named homer hickam, growing up in a strict, traditional family in the 1950s.
This lesson will go through a summary and some analysis of that story. An ally to homer, ike let the boys use his shop tools for. 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. October sky orignally published as rocket boys 9780440235507 by homer hickam. An ally to homer, ike let the boys use his shop tools for their rockets before he was transferred underground. If you like memoirs, books about the space race or the 50s i predict you will love rocket boys and from rocket boys to october sky. It was 1957, the year sputnik raced across the appalachian sky, and the small town of coalwood, west virginia, was slowly dying. I failed to connect with any of the main characters i felt that the book shifted viewpoint too frequently for me to identify with anyone. Ike and his wife loved sonny very much almost as if he was one of their own children.
A stand by me for space and science enthusiasts, the film features an excellent young cast, with jacob gyllenhaal, chris owen, and chad lindberg sharing the screen with veterans laura dern and chris cooper, the. During the course of the book, homer, inspired by read full character analysis homer hickam sr. October sky, originally published as rocket boys, tells the story of how the author decided to build rockets as a high school student in coalwood, west virginia. Rocket boys by homer hickham jr, is the story of homer when he was a young man just getting his start in rocket building.
As it is a true story it is inspiring as they persist in realising their dreams and i would recommend this book and others in the series. Why was the movie called october sky instead of the books title, rocket boys. Weatherford award in 1998, the year of its release. In the book rocket boys, the main character is always called sonny. 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. Faced with an uncertain future, homer hickman nurtured a dream. For the memoir by homer hickam, see october sky book. I highly recommend all three of these books, especially for young men. Comprehension by chapter, vocabulary challenges, creative reading response activities and projects, tests, and much more. Bykovsky helps homer with his rocket secretly in the middle of the night, john hickham punishes him by sending him down to the coal mine to dig coal. 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. In striving to enrich the lives of all readers, teachingbooks supports the first amendment and celebrates the right to read. He grew up in the small west virginian coal mining town of coalwood.
During the course of the book, homer, inspired by read full character analysis the father of homer hickam jr. One of the best books i have ever read, tells of the angst of teenage boys growing up in a mining town in america, the fifties. Story diagram rising action the rising action is when sputnik is launched by the russians, homer hickam was then inspired to launch his own rocket into outer space. October sky, by homer hiram, was published in 1999. Homers life changes when the first artificial satellite, sputnik, goes into orbit.
It is a story of growing up in a mining town, and a boys pursuit of amateur rocketry in a coal mining town. As the boys began to light up the tarry skies with their flaming projectiles and dreams of glory, coalwood, and the hickams, would never be the same. I need these questions answered for the movie october sky. Sonny feels responsible for the mans death since homer sent bykovski to work. What type of mathematics does sonny teach himself using his dads books.
Hickams other books, the coalwood way, and sky of stone both give even more insight, and are also great reads. Author homer hickam talks differences in rocket boys and film october sky updated jan, 2019. Although i was a teenager more than a decade later than hickam was, some of the things he wrote about hit close to home. Interesting that october sky the name of the movie is an anagram of rocket boys the name of the book the original name anyway. All of his friends, quentin, roy, and odell all think that their life after high school will be like everyone elses. Lets learn a bit more about this story by summarizing the book and then. The main conflict is when homers father has the idea that homer will. Free october sky worksheets and literature unit for teachers. In october, news of the soviet unions rocket launch of sputnik 1 reaches coalwood. Chapterbychapter october sky summary rocket boys by.
October sky the title on the mass market movie tiein version of the bestselling the rocket boys is the first memoir in a series of four, by homer hickam jr. Homer loves in a small coal mining town where nearly every man grows up to be a miner. It was 1957, and the small mining town of coalwood, west virginia, was slowly dying. In a mining accident, john is injured rescuing others, and ike bykovsky, a mine. 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. October sky ends up a far better than average drama that falls short of greatness because of this scriptrigging and moralizing. Ike works for the mine but he works with steel and he knows how to weld. The true story, originally published as rocket boys, that inspired the universal pictures film. She helped the rocket boys in many ways throughout the story. With the help and sometimes hindrance of the people of coalwood, the rocket boys learn not only how to turn mine scraps into rockets. Homer hickams memoir, october sky, tells the story of how he got started building rockets with his friends in the late 1950s. Free october sky worksheets and literature unit for. This post may contain affiliate links which means we receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase. At the same time, there are a great many universal themes such as dreams, growing up and struggles with family.
I was especially surprised to discover that the book and movie came out somewhat simultaneously, and how this all happened. With jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper, laura dern, chris owen. 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. With the help and sometimes hindrance of the people of coalwood, the rocket boys learn not only how to turn mine scraps into rockets that soar miles into. Looking back after a distinguished nasa career that fulfilled his boyhood ambition, hickam shares the story of his youth, taking readers into the life of the little mining town and the boys who came to embody both its tensions and its dreams. Universals special edition of october sky presents joe johnstons beautifully visualized film in a richly colored enhanced transfer that looks good even when in the how green was my valleyderived episodes set deep in the coal mine fans of the show will be delighted with the extras, a commentary with the real homer hickam and a documentary featuring his fellow rocket boys. October sky is a 1999 american biographical drama film directed by joe johnston and starring.
Rocket boys characters from litcharts the creators of. Rocket boys has been translated into eight languages and has received many awards. A memoir, the film still resonates with its message of following a dream. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The boys ask ike bykovsky to help them and he does it because he is likes to help. This is the true story that inspired the feature film october sky. The young narrator and protagonist of rocket boys, homer hickam, jr. It was 1957, the year sputnik raced across the appalachian sky. It was selected by the new york times as one of its great books of 1998 and was an alternate bookofthemonth selection for both the literary guild and doubleday book clubs. It was also nominated by the national book critics circle as best biography of 1998. Speedy delivery and more modern title and cover,was first printed as october sky. Faced with an uncertain future, homer hickam nurtured a dream. Who are the main characters in october sky answers.
Ike bykovsky is a man who worked in the machine shop for the company until he got involved with sonny and making rockets, after that he was sent to operate and excavator in the mine. A stand by me for space and science enthusiasts, the film features an excellent young cast, with jacob gyllenhaal, chris owen, and chad lindberg sharing the screen with veterans laura dern and chris cooper, the latter playing homers. This was discovered by director joe johnston using an anagram program on his computer. October sky is the first memoir in a series of four, by american engineer homer hickam jr. It was originally published under the title rocket boys in 1998. Fifteen years since the debut of october sky, based on homer hickams rocket boys. Bolden does the same exact thing in broad daylight, nothing happens. October sky is the first memoir in a series of four, by homer hickam jr. October sky by joe johnston jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper. Analysis of october sky essay 802 words 4 pages living above ground the inspirational true story of homer hickam in october sky reminds us all to strive for our goals and never give up, even in the face of adversity. Sonnys idea of building rockets starts as simply a dream, but then he brings in the other boys and even approaches quentin, the school outcast. Isaac bykovski is a worker in the mine who helps sonny with his first rockets. Ike bykovsky is a man who worked in the machine shop for the company until he got involved with sonny and making rockets, after that he was. Teach your students to analyze literature like litcharts does.
Filled with awe and a belief that this may be his chance out of coalwood, homer sets out to build rockets of his own and enter the science fair. Oct 09, 2008 homer is the main character in the movie and the original book rocket boys which anagrammed became october sky. He is a russian man and he appreciates the boys for their courage to stand up and fight against their destiny as future coal miners. So when i say that a guy named homer hickham and his friends taught themselves rocket science in the mining town of coalwood, west virginia, and that he later went on to work for nasa, you can be sure that his story was amazing enough to be made into a movie. Many schools from fifth grade to college are studying rocket boysoctober sky in their classrooms, including english, math, and science classes. Rocket boysoctober sky is an excellent way to think about and discuss the many steps it takes to achieve a goal.
As the townspeople gather outside the night of the broadcast, they see the satellite orbit across the sky. An inspirational story shouldnt have to cook the books. I, too, grew up in a rural area on a dirt road in the woods of nh. October sky is a 1999 american biographical drama film directed by joe johnston and starring jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper, chris owen, and laura dern. An ally to homer, ike let the boys use his shop tools for their rockets before he was. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
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