October Sky is a wonderful autobiography by Homer Hickam. Homer is growing up in a small coal mining town in West Virginia. His live is changed when he and his mother watch the Russian Sputnik satellite pass overhead in 1957. He decides he will make and launch a rocket of his own. Werhner von Braun is his hero.
The high school freshman is joined by others and they form the Big Creek Missile Agency. Their early experiments create problems, like blowing up his mother's garden fence. They convince the mine machinist to help, and eventually gain the support of the entire town.
The book follows the group through their remaining high school years, concluding shortly after graduation. Along the way the boys and the town deal with the realities of life. Father and son relationships, sibling rivalry, mine disasters and strikes.
It is a great read; reminding one to hold on to their dreams and shot for the stars.
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