We Are Not Afraid contains wisdom from Coalwood about how not to live in fear. The follow-up memoirs, The Coalwood Way and Sky of Stone are national bestsellers too. The phenomenon of Homer’s “Coalwood series” continues to grow. This acclaimed book was selected one of the New York Times Great Books of 1998 and was nominated by the National Book Critics Circle as Best Biography of 1998. Homer’s story of growing up in Coalwood, West Virginia, a town where everything was dying except his dreams, became an instant classic, inspiring millions to follow his example and better their lives through hard work, perseverance, and joyful enthusiasm. There are few “small-town boy makes good” stories that have resonated so profoundly as Homer Hickam’s best-selling memoirs that began with Rocket Boys/October Sky. It left in its wake one boy’s desire to join the space race, a dream that he ardently pursued with the help (and sometimes hindrance) of the people in the unique little town of his youth. In 1957, when Sonny was just 14 years old, Sputnik raced across the Appalachian sky. Note: When the paperback came out at the same time as the movie, it was also titled October Sky. The movie name October Sky is an anagram of the book name Rocket Boys – the same letters, just moved around. The #1 New York Times best-selling memoir, Rocket Boys/October Sky, is the true story of Homer “Sonny” Hickam, Jr., a boy from the mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia.
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