Article: 'Rocket Boys: A Memoir,' by Homer H. Hickam Jr.; Delacorte Press (365 pages, $24.95).(Originated from Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Homer Hickam did not spend his childhood in Ireland, getting by on wit and an occasional slice of moldy bread, and he did not have a teenage affair with a literary icon or his mother. And to this point, his only writing of note has been about military hardware. So why is his memoir one of the most ballyhooed books of the season, and why is a movie version already in the can?

Because Hickam has a great story to tell _ one that will be a lot more familiar to most readers than abject poverty and incest. Anyone who grew up in some little place while aiming for the stars will be able to empathize with the 14-year-old Hickam, who experienced that literally.

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