ROCKET BOYS

Beau Bridges's boyish persona makes him the ideal narrator for Rocket Boys, the supposedly true story of the author's boyhood. A distinguished NASA rocket scientist, Hickam grew up in a mining town where, with his mother's encouragement, he developed a fascination with rockets and organized the "rocket boys" out of a group of misfits. The excellent abridgment is the work of Jesse Boggs, a fine audio producer and singer/songwriter. The tone reminds one of Young Tom Edison and one can easily picture Mickey Rooney and big indoor MGM sets representing a West Virginia coal town. Bridges makes the most out of the well-orchestrated corn and makes it (almost) credible, partly through his personal investment in the tale and partly through the sympathetic magic of his personality. The supposed truth of the events becomes irrelevant as he catches the listener up in a warm, engaging story. Y.R. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 99]