The #1 New York Times bestselling memoir that inspiredthe film October Sky, Rocket Boys is a uniquelyAmerican memoir--a powerful, luminous story of coming of age at thedawn of the 1960s, of a mother's love and a father's fears, of agroup of young men who dreamed of launching rockets into outerspace . . . and who made those dreams come true. With the grace of a natural storyteller, NASA engineer Homer Hickampaints a warm, vivid portrait of the harsh West Virginia miningtown of his youth, evoking a time of innocence and promise, whenanything was possible, even in a company town that swallowed itsmen alive. A story of romance and loss, of growing up and gettingout, Homer Hickam's lush, lyrical memoir is a chronicle oftriumph--at once exquisitely written and marvelouslyentertaining. Now with 8 pages of photographs.

If there were a code you could learn that would enable you tobecome a wonderful teacher - of any young person in your life -wouldn't you want to learn it? The Essential 55 collects togetherthe amazingly effective rules that Ron Clark used to become anextraordinary - and award-winning - teacher. Through trial anderror, he has distilled fifty-five ideas that have helped himtransform apathetic students, in some of the most deprived andchallenging circumstances, into prize-winning scholars. Coveringall aspects of life - from the classroom to the world, from humaninteractions to cafeteria manners - Ron Clark shows that withdetermination, discipline and regular rewards, the children youstick by will be the children you eventually admire.