In this follow-up to his bestselling autobiography Rocket Boys, Homer Hickam chronicles the eventful autumn of 1959 in his hometown, the West Virginia mining town of Coalwood. Sixteen-year-old Homer and his pals in the Big Creek Missile Agency are high school seniors, still building homemade rockets and hoping that science will provide them with a ticket into the wider world of college and white-collar jobs. Such dreams make them suspect in a conservative small town where 'getting above yourself' is the ultimate sin and where Homer's father, superintendent of the Coalwood mines, is stingy with praise and dubious about his son's ambitions. Homer's mother remains supportive, but bluntly reminds him, 'You can't expect everything to go your way. Sometimes life just has another plan.' Indeed, Hickam's unvarnished portrait of Coalwood covers class warfare (union miners battling with his authoritarian father), provincial narrow-mindedness (the local ladies scorn a young woman living outside wedlock with a man who abuses her), and endless gossiping along the picket 'fence line.' These sharp details make the unabashed sentiment of the book's closing chapters feel earned rather than easy. Hickam can spin a gripping yarn and keep multiple underlying themes and metaphors going at the same time. His tender but gritty memoir will touch readers' hearts and minds. --Wendy Smith 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 A Christmas to Remember Dr. Werner von Braun once said, 'Matters of faith are not really accessible to our rational thinking. I find it best not to ask any questions, but to just believe...' These words are truly conveyed throughout the second of Homer Hickam Jr.'s memoirs, The Coalwood Way, originally published in 2000. Although following his acclaimed, Rocket Boys, this compelling story does not continue where the last left off. Portions of the memoir take place during the same time period as the last, however, this tome portrays the life of Homer 'Sonny' Hickam in a different light. This particular memoir focuses on Sonny's senior year in high school and the hardships he must go through when growing up. In addition to working diligently on creating improved rockets, Sonny must focus on achieving A's in school. Most importantly, he must focus on his family. In 1959 Coalwood, West Virginia is a ticking bomb and as it becomes more and more difficult to keep the mines running, the bomb seems to always be the verge of exploding leaving the people out of jobs, homes and, even worse, their town. Sonny must now try to keep his family together while the town falls apart and yet keep alive the dream of leaving in order to join his role model, Dr. Werner von Braun, at Cape Canaveral. Sonny Hickam is on his way to fulfilling his dreams as the book begins. However there a few obstacles on the way. Troubles in his family prevent Sonny from leading an easy, carefree life. His mother, Elsie, is growing increasingly impatient with Sonny's father. Sonny's father, Homer, is the mine superintendent and with the opening of a dangerous new mine, 11 East; ultimately, he is home even less often than usual. The strain on the marriage becomes too much for Sonny's mother and she insists on leaving Coalwood to escape to Myrtle Beach in order to sell real estate. In addition to his domestic hardships, Sonny is having troubles with himself. Every so often, although only lasting a few minutes, Sonny will find himself engulfed in an unexplainable grief. This mystery baffles Sonny day after day. As he searches for the origin of this mystery grief, he learns more than he ever imagined. Sonny's emotions and adventures are vividly depicted through a truly sentimental story, splashed with humor in all the right places. The writing style of Homer Hickam in this memoir is once again captivating and absolutely unforgettable. Although one may think memoirs aren't written well due to the lack of an experienced writer, The Coalwood Way reads like an old time fable. It is written in such a way that you are taken from your own world and thrown into the small town in West Virginia. Hickam depicts Coalwood in such a way that the image of every part of the quaint town is etched into your mind. His method of writing will bring you to tears when tragedy strikes and laughter when Sonny finds himself in a humorous predicament. This memoir is all about finding yourself and realizing that whenever life trips you up, someone will always be there to catch you when you fall. Throughout this lucid story, Sonny tries to find himself, and while looking down on his beloved town, he finally realizes the answer to what he's being puzzling all along. He understands his feelings, thinking: 'My parents, and all the people of Coalwood, had given me the only true gifts they could ever give, that of their wisdom, and of their dreams, and of their love. All fear, sadness, and anger inside me had vanished. I knew who I was and where I came from and who my people were. I was ready to leave because I could never leave.' Once Sonny realizes he can let go of the past, he is able to finally leave his hometown with the closure he needs to succeed. The 'perfect' next book..... 'The Coalwood Way' is the part 2 contiuation of the 'Rocket Boys', AKA:'October Sky'. I just really like the way Mr. Hickam tells his story in his books. I find them to be 'Americana' like- a success story from a humble start. I think the series could be a must read for middle and high school students as a way to see their potential in their own future and not just the here and now. A great book (and series) to read! Very much different from Rocket Boys/October Sky I'm not sure where the below reviewers are coming from. The Coalwood Way, although including the Rocket Boys, is very much different from the first memoir. And it is not a bunch of disconnected stories, not at all! The Coalwood Way opens with Sonny Hickam in a strange depression a year after the death of his grandfather who had lost his legs in the coal mine. It is a depression he struggles with throughout the book and is the core thread. How he determines what is causing that depression really fills out a part of the original memoir that was left out and provides us with insight as to how he ultimately succeeds. Hickam reveals how that last winter in Coalwood so much is happening to him and his friends. His rockets are starting to work, but nothing else does. He even lets Chipper, his mom's beloved squirrel, escape into the winter cold and snow. He also meets Dreama, a young woman also struggling, and wanting Sonny to be her friend. Dreama is considered something like white trash, and is living with one of the most detestable men in town. Sonny also falls for Ginger who dreams of being a professional singer and provides an interesting counterpoint to the coal miners' sons of Coalwood with their dreams of spaceflight. 'Dad,' or Homer, Sr. is also struggling, trying to open a part of the mine that has defeated previous mine superintendents but upon which the future of Coalwood depends. 'Mom,' or Elsie, struggles with her failure to win the annual Veteran's Day parade (Coalwood's float has always won before), as well as her continuing attempts to get Homer, Sr. to quit the mine before black lung kills him. Elsie also identifies very much with Dreama and wants to help her but is held back by the 'Coalwood way'. The story is told with Hickam's tradmark humor and there are as many laugh out loud moments as tears. The dramatic arc of these threads to the story all join in a night of murder and mayhem when Coalwood is also buried in a huge snowstorm and cut off from the rest of the world. This is followed by another night of hope and amazing redemption on Christmas Eve that will cause even the hardest heart to melt. In many ways, this is Hickam's Coalwood Christmas story and it's a great one. You will love it. The same story... A story told first time can be fasicnating. As Rocket Boys was. The same story told second time is just boring. The first one had a backbone: boys trying to achieve the goal despite the circumstances. The second one - ranomly selected stories about this or that - I simply don't care. Meaningless and boring nothing new, but still ok i read Rocket Boys, which i loved, and then moved on to the Coalwood Way. i was rather disappointed when i started it. it wasn't that it was about a period of time covered in rocket boys - i knew that already. but what i loved about rocket boys was the portrayal of a small town, and the coalwood way basically repeats that subject, which i think was pretty well covered already in Rocket boys. so this book isn't a must-read, like rocket boys. but it's still pretty good, as i discovered after getting throught the first couple introductory chapters (which mostly just repeated things said in rocket boys). there's still plenty of new plot material - there's dreama, a girl living with an abusive man out of wedlock, who just wants to be accepted by the town's women. then there's sonny's girl-related woes, mostly centered around a girl named ginger (there's very litttle dorothy plunk, for those of you sick of her from rocket boys). then there's sonny's relationship with both his parents, and with his brother. (sonny is homer, in case you don't know.) this is sort of an alternative to rocket boys, telling some of the same messages from different angles. if you've already read rocket boys, read some of the other books on your list first.

Add Your Review! Portion of these reviews are from Amazon.com or Barnes&Noble.com, Customer reviews are properties of their respective creators.

Rocket Boys Festival Beckley, West Virginia This is the 'original' October Sky Festival and usually features personal visits by some of the Rocket Boys. In the early years, the Festival was held in Coalwood, but it has since moved to Beckley. For details, please see: www.RocketBoysFestival.com Note: 2020 was the last Rocket Boys Festival in Beckley. ********************************************** October Sky Festival Oliver Springs, Tennessee Saturday, October 16, 2021 Oliver Springs is the filming location of many of the scenes from the movie Rocket Boys. You won't meet Homer and the other Rocket Boys here, but you'll see a lot of the places you recognize from the movie! For details, please see: www.OctoberSkyFestivalTN.org

The Coalwood Way. By Homer Hickam. Read a sample Read a sample Description; Details; Reviews; 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. 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. 940 Coalwood Way, Blacksburg, VA is currently not for sale. Single-family home is a 4 bed, 4.5 bath property. This home was built in 2006 and last sold on for. View more property details, sales history and Zestimate data on Zillow.

Tesla in Space!
Congratulations to Elon Musk and the SpaceX Team
for their launch of a Tesla roadster aboard their Falcoln Heavy rocket.
On the center console of the car is a plaque reading 'Don't Panic!'
In the glove compartment are a towel and a copy
of Douglas Adams's book, The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Cool!

Now Available
Rocket Boys, Spanish Edition!!!!!
Amazon - Mexico Site (Kindle and Paperback)
Amazon - USA Site (Kindle and Paperback)
Amazon - Spain Site (Kindle and Paperback)

Coalwood Historical Society
The Coalwood Historical Society maintains a great Facebook page with historic photos
and current news about Coalwood.

McDowell County Coal and Rail
by Jay Chatman
Book Description: Coal was discovered in McDowell County, located in the Billion Dollar Coalfield of southern West Virginia, in 1748, but it was not explored or mined until the early 1800s. Mill Creek Coal & Coke Company shipped the first railroad car of coal in March 1883 via the Norfolk & Western Railway. By the early 1900s, hundreds of mining companies dotted the county’s landscape. The coal from McDowell County fueled the nation’s home heating and steelmaking businesses and both world wars. As the coal industry developed, the local population grew; by 1950, the county had grown from a few hundred people to more than 100,000. The postcard images in this book show early coal mining and how it progressed throughout the years.
Author Bio: Jay Chatman, a lifelong resident of McDowell County, was born at home in a coal company house owned by the Lake Superior Coal Company in Superior, West Virginia. He is the current McDowell County Historical Society president, Kimball Rotary Club president, and a US Navy veteran. This book features a portion of Chatman’s 40-year collection of coal and railroad artifacts.
Order from: Arcadia Publishing, Amazon or BN.

Note: Coalwood references on pages 43 and 74
Olga references on pages 77, 78 and 104
Caretta references on page 76

This is the West Virginia 150th-anniversary-of-statehood stamp. The photo was taken by Roger Spencer, a lifelong West Virginia native, in October 2008. It shows a hazy sunrise scene of mountains in Pocahontas County. (Click photo to enlarge.)

Space Quilt
Did you know that one of the most famous quilts in the world contains a 'Rocket Boys' block? It does! The Space Quilt by Sue Nickels and Pat Holly is part of the permanent collection of the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky. Please click here to read more about this award-winning quilt.

Oral Histories From The 1970s
Gathered By Garret Mathews
'Folks Are Talking' is a double CD that includes 28 oral histories of folks Garret Mathews interviewed as a young feature writer on the Bluefield, W. Va., Daily Telegraph between 1974 and 1979. The mountainous circulation area includes Mercer, McDowell, Wyoming, Monroe and Raleigh counties in West Virginia and Tazewell, Buchanan, Bland, Wythe, Russell and Giles counties in Virginia. It’s rural America. No community in the two-state area has more than 20,000 residents. Some places visited for this collection – Bandy, Rhodell, Jenkinjon. [Note from webmaster: This is a fascinating history of the area around Coalwood in the 1970s. If this were a movie, I would rate it PG due to the content of a few of the stories. You may order the CDs online at www.folksaretalking.com. ]

Coalwood, West Virginia
GPS Coordinates: 37.38744, -81.65172

Interested in rocketry?
Be sure to visit the USSRC in Huntsville, Alabama!
Please click here for more information.

Project Icarus
You might enjoy the story of the MIT students who mounted a camera in an ice chest, attached it to a weather balloon, and launched the entire thing into near space. The entire cost of the project was under US$150.00, and the balloon made it to an altitude of 93,000 feet [28,346 meters] before it popped. The balloon, ice chest and camera made it safely back to earth, and the MIT students now have some amazing photos (like the one above)! http://space.1337arts.com/

Postcard: 'Highway Over Coalwood Mountain, Looking East, Near Welch, W. Va.'
The postcard we found is postmarked 1934 from Bluefield, West Virginia!

An old Olga Coal (Carter Coal Company) advertising brochure found on eBay.
Please click here to read.

A Flaming Rock! This is a very interesting DVD produced by some folks in McDowell County. (We purchased a copy at the 2007 October Sky Festival.) The DVD is full of vintage photos and motion pictures from the area. We particularly enjoyed one of the bonus features that showed the different kinds of mining equipment Joy manufactures. To order a copy, click here.

Dan Traveling Videos
Watch new video on the town of Pocahontas, Virginia.
Click here to see video.
See new video on Bramwell, West Virginia.
Click here to see video.
See the video on the 2007 October Sky Festival in Coalwood.
Click here to see video,

Paying Tribute to Coalwood, West Virginia

There are fan sites for movie stars and rock stars. As far as we know, this is the first fan site for a town!

June 2006: Baxter and Shelby Trail sent us some great photos they took in Petros, Tennessee, in 1998 during the filming of October Sky. Please click here to see their photos.

David Goad writes: 'Here's a neat picture of Clinton Caton standing at the big drill press in the machine shop at Coalwood. Some of Homer's rocket parts were made by Clinton on this press.' Photo courtesy of the David Goad Collection.

Coalwood Tipple
Photo courtesy of the R. Tim Gilley collection;
Tim attributes it to the David Goad collection.
Can anybody date this photo? If so, please contact us. Thanks!

Coalwood, West Virginia, is a very special place. All of us have different ideas and perceptions of Coalwood depending on our backgrounds:

The people who live in Coalwood today.
The people who lived and worked in Coalwood.
The people who know Coalwood through the book Rocket Boys.
The people who know Coalwood through the movie October Sky.
Teachers who have planned lessons around Coalwood.
Students who have learned about Coalwood in their classrooms.
The people who have visited Coalwood as tourists.

Fred Schwendel has graciously provided us with five wonderful photos of some of the filming locations for the movie October Sky. Please click here to see them all.

We know several people who have been looking for copies of Barbara Hilemon's book The Making of Rocket Boys / October Sky As Seen Through the Eyes of the Movie Extras After months of searching, we finally located Barbara, and she still has copies of the book for sale! Click here for details.

This site's webmasters are certainly not experts on Coalwood. We just thought that Coalwood needed a web site where people around the country and the world can see Coalwood and share their own thoughts.

We welcome all the fans of Coalwood, West Virginia, to share photographs, stories and memories with us. Not only does this include Coalwood itself, it also includes photos, stories and memories of the filming of October Sky in east Tennessee.

Coalwood has made a positive difference in all of our lives. We hope, with your contributions, this web site will be able to capture some of these feelings.

Our Favorite Links!

Homer Hickam's Web Site
www.HomerHickam.com

Rafe Esquith's Web Site
www.HobartShakespeareans.org

Ron Clark's Web Site
www.RonClarkAcademy.com

Coalwood Forever 'I have been amazed at the people from around the world that have been touched by Coalwood and Homer's books. I see people come to Coalwood, and what we took for granted, the people who visit just can't get enough. And all the attention that has come from the books and movie only prove that Coalwood was, and is, a special place with special people. Some day, Coalwood will be no more than a few houses with a new generation of people, but I believe that the Coalwood way of life -- what it was and what it is -- will be passed on as long as people like yourselves and myself put the web sites together and keep the history alive for future generations. Like Homer and the people of Coalwood say Coalwood Forever.' David Goad Coalwood Historian

Most of the pictures on this web site are thumbnails.
Simply click on a picture to enlarge it.

Coalwood Wv Murder

Miscellaneous Facts About Coalwood, West Virginia

The Coalwood Way Book

Coalwood: in an unincorporated town.
Coalwood is located in McDowell County, West Virginia.
Time Zone: Eastern Time Zone (U.S.A.)
Coalwood's Population (1990 Census): 900.
Coalwood's Population (2000 Census): Not counted separately.
Elevation: 1,450 feet
Telephone Country Code: 1
Telephone Area Code 304
Telephone Exchange: 297
Thus a Coalwood phone number would look like: 1-304-297-xxxx.
McDowell County's Population (1990 Census): 35,233
McDowell County's Population (2000 Census): 27,329
McDowell County's Population (2010 Census): 22,113
McDowell County's Land Area: 535 sq. mi.

The Coalwood Way Cd

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