The Coalwood Way, Homer Hickam
The Coalwood Way, Homer Hickam
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The Coalwood Way
A Memoir

Author: Homer Hickam

Narrator: David Lansbury

Abridged: 5 hr 9 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/10/2000

Synopsis

It's fall, 1959, and Homer "Sonny" Hickam and his fellow Rocket Boys are in their senior year at Big Creek High, launching handbuilt rockets that soar thousands of feet into the West Virginia sky. But in a season traditionally marked by celebrations of the spirit, Coalwood finds itself at a painful crossroads.

The strains can be felt within the Hickam home, where a beleaguered HomerSr. is resorting to a daring but risky plan to keep the mine alive, and his wife Elsie is feeling increasingly isolated from both her family and the townspeople. And Sonny, despite a blossoming relationship with a local girl whose dreams are as big as his, finds his own mood repeatedly darkened by an unexplainable sadness.

Eager to rally the town's spirits and make her son's final holiday season at home a memorable one, Elsie enlists Sonny and the Rocket Boys' aid in making the Coalwood Christmas Pageant the best ever. But trouble at the mine and the arrival of a beautiful young outsider threaten to tear the community apart when it most needs to come together. And when disaster strikes at home, and Elsie's beloved pet squirrel escapes under his watch, Sonny realizes that helping his town and redeeming himself in his mother's eyes may be a bigger-and more rewarding-challenge than he has ever faced.

The result is pure storytelling magic- a tale of small-town parades and big-hearted preachers, the timeless love of families and unforgettable adventures of boyhood friends-that could only come from the man who brought the world Rocket Boys

About The Author

Homer Hickam was born and raised in Coalwood, West Virginia. The author of Torpedo Junction, Rocket Boys, and the novelBack to the Moon, he is a retired NASA engineer, a scuba instructor, and a consultant on a variety of aerospace projects. He lives with his wife in Huntsville, Alabama-Rocket City, USA.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jeff

I would rate this book 4.5 stars. It could be titled "The Continued Adventures Of Coalwood". My early formative years were in central Kentucky where the cash crop was tobacco, then my family moved to Illinois where corn and soybeans were the thing. But I think the central story, being a teenager in......more

Goodreads review by Oliver

The Coalwood Way is a memoir written by Homer H. Hickam Jr., and elaborates on the story that he wrote previously, titled Rocket Boys. It tells of how he managed with being the son of the local mining company’s superintendent. He is in his senior year in high school, and our story begins a few month......more

Goodreads review by Mary

I feel badly that I couldn’t get into this book. It was the story of a sweet childhood growing up in a coal mining town, but there was just nothing that engaged me. Maybe it was too chirpy? But really it just wasn’t interesting. My dad, 5 grandfathers, uncles, and many men in my family were coal min......more

Quotes

“Another classic coming-of-age tale . . . the rocket boy soars again.”—People

“Irresistible . . . as compelling and rousing as a NASA liftoff.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“Compelling . . . riveting . . . extremely satisfying reading.”—The Boston Globe

“[A] sparkling memoir.”—Chicago Sun-Times

“Hickam . . . has a wonderful story to tell.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Perceptive and honest . . . A charming and sentimental, yet realistic paean to the values, biases, and hopes of small-town America.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch

“[A] powerful story . . . since Hickam writes without pity but with love, he causes readers to care.”—Boston Herald

“Recalling a lost era, [Hickam] brings his American hometown to life with vivid images, appealing characters and considerable literary magic.”—Publishers Weekly

“With keen memory and dedication to fact, Hickam mines his childhood, playing the trials of growing up and self-discovery against the unstoppable forces of change. Along the way emerge truths and realizations that resonate on deep levels. Indeed, Hickam is powerfully gifted in rendering the personal into the universal.”—The Denver Post

“More than a good read, charming and often moving enough to bring a lump to your throat.”—American Way

“A heartwarming tale of family love, small-town living and boyhood adventure that will take readers back to their own youthful days. I loved it!”—Abilene Reporter-News

“A story of heartwarming possibilities . . . original and nostalgically humorous . . . The Coalwood Way is the story of a rocket boy shooting for the moon. But it is also the story of the maturation of a boy, a family and a town.”—BookPage

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