We Are Not Afraid: Strength and Courage from the Town That Inspired the #1 Bestseller and Award-Winning Movie "October Sky" (Paperback)

~ Homer Hickam (Author) "The people who built Coalwood and the other southern West Virginia mining towns in the early twentieth century found themselves in a beautiful but essentially..." (more)
Key Phrases: tough teachers, mine superintendent, West Virginia, Rocket Boys, Golden Horseshoe (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hickam's latest book is a little different from the other feel-good stories that emerged nationwide after the September 11 attacks. What sets his stories apart is where they all take place: the mining town of Coalwood, W.Va., the setting for his bestselling memoirs Sky of Stone and October Sky. In this inspirational guide to overcoming fear, Hickam shares anecdotes from his life, mainly having to do with the values he learned in the small, humble town of Coalwood. Each chapter explains one of the "Coalwood Attitudes" ("we are proud of who we are"; "we stand up for what we believe"; "we keep our families together"; and "we trust in God but rely on ourselves"); Hickam then finishes by delivering the kicker (or "The Coalwood Assumption," as he calls it): "we are not afraid." Although it would be easy to dismiss his yarns and advice as hokey or cutesy, Hickam's retelling of a wholesome upbringing in Coalwood is quite touching and heartening, providing assistance for the uncertainty many Americans have dealt with recently and will continue to face in the months ahead. "In today's world, fear seems to be everywhere," he writes. "If you want to stop being afraid... this book can help by teaching you a philosophy of life that will fill your heart and soul with a sense of well-being and confidence." Reading about how Hickam handled bullies in the fifth grade or how he didn't let fear overcome him while fighting in Vietnam may not change what happened last September, but it will give readers the gumption to persevere when the going gets rough. (Feb.)Forecast: It's obvious HCI is not afraid of betting on this book: they're planning a $100,000 ad campaign, a 20-city TV and radio satellite tour and appearances on morning news and daytime talk shows. The 400,000-copy first printing ensures they'll be ready for the run.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

Today, fear may be affecting even the strongest of us. Sometimes it's immediate, caused by a sense of imminent danger-the kind we felt after terrorists destroyed the magnificent World Trade Center, tore a giant wound in the Pentagon and killed thousands of people. But sometimes fear can be enduring and become a normal way of life.

In the #1 New York Times best-selling memoir and critically acclaimed movine October Sky, Homer Hickam introduced us to the rugged town of his youth, Coalwood, West Virginia. We met the people who settled there and took on the hazardous and often brutal enterprise of coal mining.

To survive and prosper, Hickam's friends, relatives and neighbors relied on a practical no-nonsense and often humor-filled approach to living that would get them through hard times with an almost unnatural resilience and a special kind of fortitude.

In his brand new book, We Are Not Afraid, Hickam champions the remarkable attitudes that shaped the townspeople of Coalwood. Over a lifetime, they learned to take on these attitudes:

We are proud of who we are. We stand up for what we believe. We keep our families together. We trust in God but rely on ourselves.

These attitudes are summed up in the Coalwood Assumption:

WE ARE NOT AFRAID

Through poignant memories of his youth, best selling author Homer Hickam helps lead you beyond fear to find the courage and strength to live more happily and look toward to future with optimism.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: HCI (February 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 075730012X
• ISBN-13: 978-0757300127
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #296,478 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stories of Strength and Courage, November 22, 2002

By	Matthew Dodd (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

Homer Hickam wrote a very enjoyable and informative book about his hometown of Coalwood, West Virginia, and the people who helped nurture him as a young boy. With his childhood stories, he took me on a journey through time to a place that many today would dismiss as "old-fashioned," and Hickam would argue was "the way things can and should be."

Inspired by the events of September 11, 2001, Hickam reflected on his youth and realized the values he grew up with in Coalwood were what many people needed to move on with their lives following the tragic terrorist attacks on America. Hickam expertly wove his thoughts and experiences into the four "Coalwood Attitudes of Strength and Courage" (We are proud of who we are, We stand up for what we believe, We keep our families together, and We trust in God but rely on ourselves), which led to the "Coalwood Assumption" that most Americans found themselves either wanting to say or saying repeatedly following 9/11: "We are not afraid."

In his introduction, Hickam explains the purpose of this book: "If you want to stop being afraid, or if you want to avoid the habits of fear and dread, this book can help by teaching you a philosophy of life that will fill your heart and soul with a sense of well-being and confidence. It is a philosophy that was developed by real people who led good, happy and hearty lives while managing to raise a crop of children who went on to have successful lives of their own."

Hickam is a master storyteller, and his stories contained many powerful moral and inspirational passages. Some I related to as personal memories, others as things I missed growing up or never thought about, and still others as a father wanting his young son to experience in his childhood.

This book has a lot to offer to many different people with many different needs in many different situations. I encourage everyone to read this book and let Hickam take you on a journey of discovery into your heart and soul.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It made me cry with tears of joy, February 8, 2002

By	Trula Spring (Salt Lake City, Utah) - See all my reviews

I love all of Homer's books. With Rocket Boys, Coalwood Way, and Sky of Stone, it was as if I was living right there with the people of his little mining town. This book is the same although much different. Rather than a story that goes from beginning to the end, it is filled with the wisdom of a "people who always lived in perilous times." I didn't realize it but I am also a victim of long-term fear. Something always seemed to be holding me back from going to college, now that my children are out of the house. No more. Homer has shown me how to over come everything that has been keeping me from doing what I should, to really enjoy life. I am proud of who I am. I stand up for what I believe. I will keep my family together. I trust God but will rely on my self. I cried tears of joy reading this book, laughed out loud in so many places. It is a treasure of a book that you will never regret reading, learning, savoring for all the days of your life.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great advice for a weary world, June 17, 2002

By	Billie Gray (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews

The advice I found in this book has changed my life, too. Somebody told me I should read this when they caught be dragging around filled with worry. What can a little book do to change that I asked and they said well, just read it and see. The insights in this book have been just amazing. Homer teaches through stories that are fun to read but after you're done, you just sit back and go I really see that. I really, really do. Honestly, I've spent money on a lot of these selfhelp do better kind of books but the way Homer does it, I think I really got my money's worth this time.