We are not meant to be

I'm a fan of Homer Hickam. I met him at a Mars Society convention. He was a guest speaker. A real down to earth man who likes people. I've bought and reviewed most of his books, All 4 or 5 stars.We Are Not Afraid was a good inspirational book on how to lead a good life using principles shown from Homer, his family and neighbors in Coalwood, a small town in the coal producing region of West Virginia. Homer was born in 1943 and went into the army in 1966. We see different people in Coalwood during this period giving their stories that gave them strength and understanding in their lives. Many inspirational stories showing how you don't have to be afraid living. We learn to stick up for ourselves and confront bullies and avoid lying. Stay away from negative people as they will bring your spirits down.Homer has a nice even flowing, descriptive writing style that is easy to read and makes the reader want to read on. We Are Not Afraid was a 242 page burner I read in one day. I couldn't put it down.We learn its good to believe in God and pray but we must take action in our lives. Get outside and meet people. Do charity work and recreation. Its OK to dream of a great occupation/job but you must go get it if its going to happen. We learn the 3 "P" system with perseverance necessary. Don't give up and keep trying. We learn the value of an education and to stay in school an not be a quitter.We learn why its so important to have friends. Also why marriage and the family are sacred and why both husband and wife must do everything for it to succeed.We are shown the USA is a great country with great people and to be proud of it.It took Homer till he was well into his thirties before he got his engineering job with NASA. He kept trying after rejections. Also it took years and years before he wrote his first "Best Seller" book.Lots more of helpful advice.I liked his Rocket Boys, Torpedo Junction, Lighthouse Keeper and son series, the Dinosaur Hunter and his 3 book Coalwood collection a little better ( all 5 stars). Also Rocket Boys was made into a great award winning, family viewing, movie "October Sky"... 5 stars.We Are Not Afraid 4 stars and proudly added to our Homer Hickam shelf in our family library.

I bought this because I like his Coalwood series and the people who made up the town. I don't agree with anything said about Religion or the Idealist one sided presentation of history or politics of the United States. I would tend to believe his father about it being private but I like his stories and addition to the social structure history of that little town with a social contract. The propaganda fed to the school system and to us is like a court hearing with only one side being presented which is controlled by the state which is controlled by politics which is controlled by money which is controlled by wealthy elite to keep the wage slaves happy and ignorant. Go Read A Peoples history of the united states by Howard Zinn to get a view from the American people. Of course the book is a reflection of the values of Coalwood in the late 50s and is the evolution of that time as the very interesting Dentist of the town would say. I have an Eng Deg and have one parent from southern W.VA. during the depression and also worked for the Space program. Sonny boy is a born writer and very few Engineers have that skill. He just had a unique mix of skills to do the job at NASA. Engineer, Diver, Writer and a great memory with the work ethic and management skills of his dad. Not many have that mix. I bet the Captain lives by a different set of rules in addition to what is presented to the working public. Nice addition to the series. I would love to see a 5th book on the Captain. What an interesting character. Just the additional stories is worth the price.

I am reading a little at a time. It can easily be read in bites. A vivid glimpse into life of the 50's that established the backbone of great families some may see it as unrealistic I see it as tried and true

Always a fan of Homer Hickam... So I am not sure he could ever write something that I wouldn't like. His whole life, is just inspiring, and when he puts pen to paper he brings his own experience to life. Just exellent.

Very inspiring stories of how to not live in fear from Rocket Boy Homer Hickam and others in his town of Coalwood. Share it with your lived ones and keep and reread often.

This book is inspiring. If you need an additional voice on the value of knowing where you come from, what is important to you such that you will fight for it, how to understand God and keep you family together; this book is for you.

It's a different type of book than any of Hickam's Coalwood memoirs that everyone has come to love. It is more self-help based, and there are some good points in there. (even though I'm always a skeptic of these types of books) That being said, it is a lot of Hickam's ideologies, and long-winded hard-lined opinions about issues that aren't always black and white. I still think the guy is an American role model and great author, and I will continue to read his books. That being said, I got the vibe that this book was something pushed on him by his publishers as a potential money-maker in the immediate post-9/11 fervor. Nonetheless, it still has some good lessons, and Homer remains one of my favorite authors!

Husband is big Homer fan. He loves all his writing!