The Coalwood Way
| Author | Homer Hickam, Jr. |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Memoir |
| Published | 2000 |
| Preceded by | October Sky |
| Followed by | Sky of Stone |
The Coalwood Way (2000) is the second memoir in a series of three, by Homer Hickam, Jr. The Coalwood Way is a story of the Rocket Boys and Coalwood. Homer calls it an "equal," rather than a sequel because the story happens during the same timeframe as the first book. Today, it is one of the most often picked community/library reads in the United States. It is also studied in many school systems around the world. The Coalwood Way (2000) is followed by Sky of Stone (2002), and preceded by October Sky (1998).
It is now 1959. The Rocket Boys are still perfecting their handmade rockets and, as high school seniors, preparing for their futures. Homer is determined to prove to his father that he is college material, but with the mine perilously close to running out of coal and shutting down, the prospects for the future of any of Coalwood's children is bleak. Miners have lost their jobs and homes, public services have been cut to residences in the outlying areas, and Homer's father is faced with initiating an extremely dangerous and controversial new mining method in order to save the town and the mine from oblivion. Homer's mother feels increasingly cut off from her husband and the townspeople as her role as the mine superintendent's wife places her at odds with the wives of the union workers.
Optimism is hard to come by in the bleak winter months of the last year of the 1950s, and Homer is overcome with an overriding sense of gloom with his future so uncertain. The faith and hope of these hard working people, however, form the basis for an uplifting memoir, as Sonny and his friends resurrect the Spirit of Christmas when Coalwood need is the most.
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