As summer fades and autumn arrives, millions of high school and college students across the U.S. have returned to their classrooms. As it has been for the past decade, a vast majority of them will see the film “October Sky” and/or read the bestselling book it’s based on—“Rocket Boys” by Homer Hickam—sometime this school year. The hit film, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, and Laura Dern tells the story of young Hickam, his close group of high school friends and their quest to build rockets in the hardscrabble coalfields of West Virginia in the late 1950’s, culminating in life lessons learned en route to a big win at the National Science Fair.
Why has this story become an American classic, competing with classics as the most read (and watched) story in U.S. schools, and many others worldwide? How did the timeless story, which began as a short article for a magazine, turn into a runaway best seller and a movie whose big time Hollywood director Joe Johnston said was “the most important movie that most of the people involved will ever work on?” And, why do the characters from the story still meet thousands of fans every year during an annual pilgrimage to West Virginia? Homer Hickam, the author of “Rocket Boys” was an on-set consultant during the filming of “October Sky.” Ask Homer:
• How he struggled with writing the book itself (He says he got a million dollars’ worth of psychotherapy that he didn’t even know he needed.)
• Why he was initially unsure if Jake Gyllenhaal was good enough for the film
• What Homer taught Jake on set that he still uses today in movies and in real life
• How tornados, ice, sleet, snow and freezing rain nearly crippled filming
• Why his meeting with actress Laura Dern got him in hot water with the filmmakers
• About his battles over control of the Rocket Boys story with the director and others
• The top 3 things that are different from the book to the movie
• His trip to the Venice and London Film Festivals, down the red carpet, and on the Letterman show
• What to expect at the October Sky Festival October 4th-6th in West Virginia
Homer Hickam is the best-selling author of 17 books, but will probably always be best known for his beloved award winning best seller “Rocket Boys,” which became the film “October Sky.” His new Amazon Kindle single “From Rocket Boys to October Sky” is available now at www.amazon.com. Homer and the other Rocket Boys will be appearing alongside Chris Owen (who played Rocket Boy Quentin Wilson in the film) at the Rocket Boys Festival October 4th-6th in Beckley WV. Find out more at www.rocketboysfestival.com. To interview Homer, contact Burke Allen with Allen Media Strategies at (703) 589-8960 or burke@allenmediastrategies.com
