Rocket Boys

When Homer is 11 years old, The Captain retires, and Homer Sr. takes his job. Homer Sr. moves his family into The Captain’s house, which is larger and more comfortable than his previous house. Reflecting on his family, Homer notes that Jim never liked him much. It’s possible that Jim blames him for causing tension between their parents, as Elsie had wanted to have a daughter, but ended up with Homer.

In 1957, Homer begins high school at Big Creek. He likes the new environment, and appreciates that he’s still going to school with his closest friends, Roy Lee, Sherman, and O’Dell. He notes that the key “milestone” in his life happened on October 5, 1957.

On Oct 5, Elsie calls Homer to the radio and tells him to listen. The radio announces the launching of Sputnik. Elsie asks Homer what this means. Homer knows exactly what Sputnik is: a Soviet satellite that orbits the planet and measures the weather. Elsie nods and says that this news will infuriate Homer Sr., a loyal Communist-hater. Homer Sr. often argues with Elsie’s brother, “Uncle Ken.” Ken is a loyal Democrat, and Homer is an equally fierce Republican.

News of Sputnik spreads through Coalwood quickly. Shortly thereafter, Homer takes the bus to school with Jim. Jim, Homer notes, is a well-dressed, popular boy. Homer and Jim fought one another hundreds of times growing up. Recently, they had an especially brutal fight regarding their bicycles, and as a result Homer sustained a purple welt on his leg and his ribs ached for a month. Since that time, Homer and Jim haven’t fought or even talked.

It is the first day of school after the launch of Sputnik, and Homer rides the bus. He sits next to Linda DeHaven and Margie Jones, with whom he’s gone to school since the first grade. He notices his friend O’Dell, who’s sleeping on the bus. He also sees Sherman, an intelligent boy with a shriveled leg as a result of a polio infection. There is also Roy Lee, a good-looking, likable boy who owns a car. Homer is lucky to have these friends, he thinks, because he’s the target of much resentment. Because his father oversees the mine, many of the miners resent him. On several occasions, Homer’s friends have had to protect him from bullies.

The bus to school drives past neighboring towns. There is Caretta, owned by the same mining company that owns Coalwood. Many of the miners in Caretta hate Homer Sr. for taking The Captain’s job. There’s also Premier, a “red light” area where prostitutes hang out. The next area is War Warrior, a decaying old town that never recovered from the Great Depression.

When Homer arrives at school, everyone wants to talk about Sputnik. Many of the students think that the Soviets stole the design for Sputnik from U.S. scientists. They gossip about the U.S.S.R. and suggest that Russians eat their own babies. As Homer and Roy Lee talk, they compare homework. Homer notes that he was a poor student, especially at algebra.

Homer’s first class is biology. Over the intercom, the school principal, R.L. Turner talks about Sputnik, and suggests that the students concentrate on their studies in order to compete with the Soviet Union. Homer exchanges glances with Dorothy Plunk, who seems frightened by the prospect of a Soviet satellite. Homer whispers to Roy Lee, asking if he thinks Dorothy will go out with him. Dorothy’s friend, Emily Sue Buckberry, overhears them, and snaps that Dorothy already has boyfriends. Like nearly everyone in high school, she calls Homer “Sonny.” Homer blushes, thinking that he’s only kissed one girl in his life—Teresa Anello. He has a big crush on Dorothy Plunk.

A few days later, Homer is spending time at the Big Store. The locals are talking about high school football, which is a huge part of Coalwood town life. Homer’s brother, Jim, is a talented football player, and Homer Sr. serves as the president of the Big Creek Football Father’s Association. Homer Sr. is exceptionally proud of Jim’s athleticism, to the point that Elsie suggests that he isn’t proud enough of Homer. Homer, who’s nearsighted and physically weak, has no interest in sports whatsoever.

Over the course of the next few weeks, the newspapers are full of stories about Sputnik. Homer is fascinated by these articles—he reads about the great German rocket scientist, Wernher von Braun, who’s working for the United States to build American satellites. He also reads that Sputnik will pass over West Virginia soon, low enough that people will be able to see it at night.

The night that Sputnik is said to be passing over West Virginia, Homer goes outside, accompanied by his mother and his friends. Homer Sr. arrives, incredulous that a Soviet satellite is flying over American territory. Suddenly, O’Dell sees a bright object flying through the sky. It is a small, bright ball, which disappears from view in less than a minute. Homer is astounded by the sight. He can barely sleep that night, because Sputnik has excited him so much.

On November 3, the Russians launch Sputnik II, which carries a dog named Laika. Soon after, Homer reads an article in Life Magazine about how Wernher von Braun built rockets when he was a child. Inspired, Homer decides to launch a rocket of his own. The principle is simple: put fuel in a vertical shaft, and create a hole so that the fuel can push out. Homer decides to use the powder from cherry bombs as his fuel.

Homer gathers his friends, Sherman, O’Dell, and Roy Lee, to help him launch a rocket outside his house, near Elsie’s prized rose-garden fence. He builds the rocket using an empty flashlight tube, and punches a hole in it using a nail. Together, he and his friends fill the flashlight with cherry bomb powder, connect it to a fuse, and light the fuse. There is a bright flash, and Elsie’s rose-garden fence, burning, shoots up into the air.