Rocket Boys

by

Homer Hickam

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Rocket Boys makes teaching easy.
Homer Hickam Jr.’s friend, and the publicity manager of the BCMA, Sherman is an intelligent young man and a talented math student who calculates many of the complicated sums necessary to launch rockets. Sherman suffers from polio, and has a “bad leg.” Nevertheless, he plays an invaluable role in building interest and support for the BCMA. Tragically, Sherman dies of a heart attack when he’s only 26 years old.

Sherman Quotes in Rocket Boys

The Rocket Boys quotes below are all either spoken by Sherman or refer to Sherman. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Cold War and the Space Race Theme Icon
).
Chapter 9 Quotes

“We’re making progress.” I put out my hand, palm down. “Come on, put your hand on mine, like the football team does.”
One by one, Sherman, O’Dell Roy Lee, and Quentin solemnly placed their hands one on top of the other, all on top of mine. “Rocket boys,” I said. “Rocket boys forever!”

Related Characters: Homer Hickam Jr. (speaker), O’Dell, Sherman, Quentin, Roy Lee
Page Number: 132
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 20 Quotes

There, with nobody around but Roy Lee, Sherman, and O’Dell, I could be just another boy again. I put Coalwood and even my parents out of my mind and took in all the sounds and sights and smells of God’s nature everywhere about me. For the first time in months, I was genuinely happy.

Related Characters: Homer Hickam Jr. (speaker), O’Dell, Sherman, Roy Lee
Page Number: 263
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Rocket Boys LitChart as a printable PDF.
Rocket Boys PDF

Sherman Quotes in Rocket Boys

The Rocket Boys quotes below are all either spoken by Sherman or refer to Sherman. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Cold War and the Space Race Theme Icon
).
Chapter 9 Quotes

“We’re making progress.” I put out my hand, palm down. “Come on, put your hand on mine, like the football team does.”
One by one, Sherman, O’Dell Roy Lee, and Quentin solemnly placed their hands one on top of the other, all on top of mine. “Rocket boys,” I said. “Rocket boys forever!”

Related Characters: Homer Hickam Jr. (speaker), O’Dell, Sherman, Quentin, Roy Lee
Page Number: 132
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 20 Quotes

There, with nobody around but Roy Lee, Sherman, and O’Dell, I could be just another boy again. I put Coalwood and even my parents out of my mind and took in all the sounds and sights and smells of God’s nature everywhere about me. For the first time in months, I was genuinely happy.

Related Characters: Homer Hickam Jr. (speaker), O’Dell, Sherman, Roy Lee
Page Number: 263
Explanation and Analysis: