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Search - Sky of Stone : A Memoir

Sky of Stone A Memoir
Author: Homer Hickam

Homer Hickam won the praise of critics and the devotion of readers with his first two memoirs set in the hardscrabble mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia. The New York Times crowned his first book, the #1 national bestseller October Sky, “an eloquent evocation ... a thoroughly charming memoir.” And People call... more »ed The Coalwood Way, Hickam’s follow-up to October Sky, “a heartwarmer ... truly beautiful and haunting.”

Now Homer Hickam continues his extraordinary story with Sky of Stone, dazzling us with exquisite storytelling as he takes us back to that remarkable small town we first came to know and love in October Sky.

In the summer of ‘61, Homer “Sonny” Hickam, a year of college behind him, was dreaming of sandy beaches and rocket ships. But before Sonny could reach the seaside fixer-upper where his mother was spending the summer, a telephone call sends him back to the place he thought he had escaped, the gritty coal-mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia. There, Sonny’s father, the mine’s superintendent, has been accused of negligence in a man’s death — and the townspeople are in conflict over the future of the town.

Sonny’s mother, Elsie, has commanded her son to spend the summer in Coalwood to support his father. But within hours, Sonny realizes two things: His father, always cool and distant with his second son, doesn’t want him there ... and his parents’ marriage has begun to unravel. For Sonny, so begins a summer of discovery — of love, betrayal, and most of all, of a brooding mystery that threatens to destroy his father and his town.

Cut off from his college funds by his father, Sonny finds himself doing the unimaginable: taking a job as a “track-laying man,” the toughest in the mine. Moving out to live among the miners, Sonny is soon dazzled by a beautiful older woman who wants to be the mine’s first female engineer.

And as the days of summer grow shorter, Sonny finds himself changing in surprising ways, taking the first real steps toward adulthood. But it’s a journey he can make only by peering into the mysterious heart of Coalwood itself, and most of all, by unraveling the story of a man’s death and a father’s secret.

In Sky of Stone, Homer Hickam looks down the corridors of his past with love, humor, and forgiveness, brilliantly evoking a close-knit community where everyone knows everything about each other’s lives — except the things that matter most. Sky of Stone is a memoir that reads like a novel, mesmerizing us with rich language, narrative drive, and sheer storytelling genius.

From the Hardcover edition.

ISBN-13: 9780440240921
ISBN-10: 0440240921
Publication Date: 10/29/2002
Pages: 432
Rating:

Currently 4.1/5 Stars.

4.1 stars, based on 18 ratings

Publisher: Dell
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

Marian A. reviewed Sky of Stone : A Memoir on 3/12/2006 + 9 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

This is the third book of Homer Hickam's trilogy and perhaps the best one of all.

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Gloria B. reviewed Sky of Stone : A Memoir on 5/28/2006 + 158 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Wonderful book, Written by the best selling author of October sky. A true story about a boy getting out of his coal mining town to a better life.

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Patricia A. S. (grisbella) reviewed Sky of Stone : A Memoir on 2/4/2010 + 10 more book reviews

Great follow up to "October Sky."

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Linda L. reviewed Sky of Stone : A Memoir on 8/30/2009 + 27 more book reviews

Third in the series of what it was like to grow up in a coal mining camp in the early '60's. A good read of the struggle to get out of the coal mines & into the outside world. The author went on to be a part of NASA & also wrote the book that was made into a movie named "October Sky", starring Jake Gyllenhal. Excellent movie, by the way.

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