Eli Bendersky's website "Rocket boys" is an auto-biographic novel set in the lates 1950s, and is about a bunch of high-school kids from the small West Virginian mining town Coalwood. Led by the author, they pursue the dream of lauching rockets high into the sky.
There's a bit of everything in "Rocket Boys". Growing up, pursuing dreams, the complex relationships between parents and children, friends and neighbors, and more. The author definitely has a knack for writing well, and the book is very entertaining and captivating.
Although I liked a lot of things about it, I didn't like everything, so I don't share the wild enthusiasm that seems to be present in most reviews. While it has all the elements needed from a truly great book (readability, a true story, interesting characters and something to think about), there are some negative sides as well. Mainly, I feel that the author perhaps went too far in some places to make the book a more readable fiction. I would prefer its staying more consistent and realistic, even if that would become a bit less captivating.
What disappointed me the most, however, is that I really didn't find the book too inspiring, although it seems to be its most hailed trait. Well, at least not by the main character, who seems to have cared much more for his father's attention and the inferiority complex vs. his brother, and got so involved in rocket building mainly for the sake of "showing what he's capable of", and not out of true interest.
But maybe it's just me. All and all, this is a good book and I recommend it.