Throughout the memoir about his youth, Homer Hickam in Rocket Boys demonstrates excellence in prose. Hickam, a former aerospace engineer from NASA, credibly and masterfully crafts his memoir so as to bring the reader into his mindset. His insightful descriptions of action enable the reader to experience the moment firsthand with him through their imagination. He carefully selects his words in order to create an image in the mind of the reader through his deliberate syntax, powerful diction, literary devices, and imagery. The following passage is an example of his powerful prose:
Sherman wanted to light the fuse, but I worried whether he could get away from it fast enough. ‘Don’t you worry about me,’ he said with such intensity …show more content…
The passages really brought me into Hickam’s mindset and I was able to see the world from his point of view. The frequent literary devices entertained my mind, while my imagination was absorbed in the imagery in the book. I was inspired by Sonny’s determination to succeed and make something of himself. I did not find any truly weak parts of this memoir as I personally was absorbed in every moment in it. However I can understand if some people were to find it dull or boring at times due to lack of action. Unfortunately many readers today read only for action and violence, so due to a general lack of these in Rocket Boys, many people might find it unentertaining. I would only recommend this to a person who reads to be inspired and not merely to be entertained. Personally I found myself captivated by the book’s imagery and unknowingly I found myself on a mission to find every little literary device possible. Throughout my reading I always viewed the book positively and eagerly read ahead to find out what would happen next. Rocket Boys is an excellent book that I found to be truly inspirational and has positively impacted on my view on my own life. Now I truly believe that if I work hard enough, I can achieve just about