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A review by sassmistress
Rocket Boys: A Memoir by Homer Hickam
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
4.0
That's the American Dream right there. Love this inspiring story of a boy enchanted by space and determined to figure out how to build rockets. One thing that makes this one so special is the pervasive, implicit acknowledgment that his success was only possible because literally the entire town helped him at some point or another.
Have to take some points off for content, because I can't share this with middle schoolers.
Have to take some points off for content, because I can't share this with middle schoolers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Drug use, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Vomit, War
Way more (50s-style) sexual content than I was expecting. Not graphic but very frequent. Teenage hormone stuff, ogling girls, unsnapping bras, public groping, brief discussions of prostitution ("wh*res"), and two backseat escapades by underage MC are talked around. One of which broke the heart of the girl's boyfriend when he caught them at it, but they ignored him and he left.
Lots of 50s cursing. "d*mmittoChr*sth*ll", "sonuvab*tch", "G*wdalmighty", and the like.
A dog and a cat die at different points. A mangled body is shown on page.
Side characters are alcoholics. MC gets drunk one night and very sick.
Occasional grotesque injuries involving lots of blood, and one case of stitches without anesthetic, plus some surgeries described. Mine accidents including losing both legs, or beheading, mentioned several times in past tense.
Lots of fistfights and off-page beat-downs
Several cancers, some sudden mentions and some long-term. Epilogue describes death by black lung in more detail than is comfortable; maybe 75% graphic.
Several wars are mentioned but not shown up close. PTSD effects occasionally appear in veteran side characters. Holocaust comes up as one minor character is Jewish but does not talk about it directly.
Occasional tobacco use briefly seen.
MC goes through period of shock and depression after the loss of a family friend
There is no pedophilia, but trigger warning. MC is uncomfortable stripping out of snow-soaked clothes in front of an adult he does not know. Parent is uncomfortable upon hearing of the situation later and tells him that she runs a prostitution "business" and he should not visit her again.
Corporal punishment appears off-page occasionally, and MC's mother slaps him on the face once, on-page
Lots of 50s cursing. "d*mmittoChr*sth*ll", "sonuvab*tch", "G*wdalmighty", and the like.
A dog and a cat die at different points. A mangled body is shown on page.
Side characters are alcoholics. MC gets drunk one night and very sick.
Occasional grotesque injuries involving lots of blood, and one case of stitches without anesthetic, plus some surgeries described. Mine accidents including losing both legs, or beheading, mentioned several times in past tense.
Lots of fistfights and off-page beat-downs
Several cancers, some sudden mentions and some long-term. Epilogue describes death by black lung in more detail than is comfortable; maybe 75% graphic.
Several wars are mentioned but not shown up close. PTSD effects occasionally appear in veteran side characters. Holocaust comes up as one minor character is Jewish but does not talk about it directly.
Occasional tobacco use briefly seen.
MC goes through period of shock and depression after the loss of a family friend
There is no pedophilia, but trigger warning. MC is uncomfortable stripping out of snow-soaked clothes in front of an adult he does not know. Parent is uncomfortable upon hearing of the situation later and tells him that she runs a prostitution "business" and he should not visit her again.
Corporal punishment appears off-page occasionally, and MC's mother slaps him on the face once, on-page