The Coalwood Way

The author of October Sky takes readers back to his West Virginia hometown in the fall of 1959. Homer Sonny Hickam and his fellow Rocket Boys are in their senior year, and the town of Coalwood is at a painful crossroads. The strain is also felt by Sonny's family. With the holidays approaching, the arrival of a beautiful outsider brings unexpected changes in both the Hickam family and the town. nFrom the #1 bestselling author of October Sky comes this rich, unforgettable tale. With the same dazzling storytelling that distinguished his first memoir, Homer Hickam takes us deeper into the soul of his West Virginia hometown at a moment when its unique way of life is buffeted by forces of time and change. nIt is fall 1959. Homer Sonny Hickam and his fellow Rocket Boys are in their senior year at Big Creek High, and the town of Coalwood finds itself at a painful crossroads. n nThe strains can be felt within the Hickam home, where Homer Sr. struggles to save the mine, and his wife, Elsie, is feeling increasingly isolated from both her family and the townspeople. Sonny, despite a blossoming relationship with a local girl, finds his own mood darkened by an unexplainable sadness. n nThen, with the holidays approaching, trouble at the mine and the arrival of a beautiful young outsider bring unexpected changes in both the Hickam family and the town of Coalwood ... as this luminous memoir moves toward its poignant conclusion.n