The Coalwood Way: A Memoir

In this “irresistible” memoir “as compelling and rousing as a NASA liftoff” (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution), the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Rocket Boys takes us deeper into the soul of his West Virginia hometown during a pivotal moment that irrevocably changed its unique way of life.

“Another classic coming-of-age tale . . . the rocket boy soars again.”—People

Fall, 1959. Homer “Sonny” Hickam and his fellow Rocket Boys are in their senior year at Big Creek High, and the town of Coalwood finds itself at a painful crossroads.

The strains can be felt within the Hickam home, where Homer Sr. struggles to save the mine, and his wife, Elsie, is feeling increasingly isolated from both her family and the townspeople. Sonny, despite a blossoming relationship with a local girl, finds his own mood darkened by an unexplainable sadness.

Then, with the holidays approaching, trouble at the mine and the arrival of a beautiful young outsider bring unexpected changes in both the Hickam family and the town of Coalwood.