Homer Hickam | |
|---|---|
 Hickam Jr. in 2020 | |
| Born | Homer Hadley Hickam Jr. February 19, 1943 Coalwood, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Occupation | Author |
| Alma mater | Virginia Tech (BS) |
| Genre | Memoirs, historical fiction |
| Notable works | Rocket Boys: A Memoir Torpedo Junction Back to the Moon The Josh Thurlow series The Coalwood Way Sky of Stone Red Helmet We Are Not Afraid |
| Spouse | Linda Terry Hickam Paula Morgan (div. 1986) |
| Relatives | Homer Hickam Sr. (father) Elsie Hickam (mother) Jim Hickam (brother) |
| Military career | |
| Service/ | U.S. Army |
| Years of service | 1964–1970 |
| Rank |  Captain (US) |
| Unit | Fourth Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Bronze Star Medal Army Commendation Medal |
| Website | |
| www | |
Homer Hadley Hickam Jr. (born February 19, 1943) is an American author, Vietnam War veteran, and a former NASA engineer who trained the first Japanese astronauts. His 1998 memoir Rocket Boys (also published as October Sky) was a New York Times Best Seller and was the basis for the 1999 film October Sky. Hickam's body of written work also includes several additional best-selling memoirs and novels, including the "Josh Thurlow" historical fiction novels, his 2015 best-selling Carrying Albert Home: The Somewhat True Story of a Man, his Wife, and her Alligator and in 2021 the sequel to Rocket Boys titled Don't Blow Yourself Up: The Further Adventures and Travails of the Rocket Boy of October Sky. His books have been translated into many languages.