Inspired: How Washington County (Md.) set Laura Hillenbrand on the track to bestsellerdom
As a young girl, bestselling-author Laura Hillenbrand and her older sister, Susan, rode horses over the Washington County hills and along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath. They rode bareback, sliding back and forth and trying to stay astride the horse while only holding onto bridles they’d made from twine. “We did a lot of riding and a lot of falling off,” Hillenbrand said. When they did fall off, they had to protect their heads since they didn’t wear helmets. It might have been a little dangerous, but it was a lot of fun. Hillenbrand and her family spent much of the summers of her youth at their farm in Sharpsburg. Her father worked as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. and the 600-acre farm served as a getaway and refuge from the stress of the city. The stone farm house Read more…
Why "Unbroken" the book is better than the movie
My wife and I went to see Unbroken last night. I loved the book and was very excited to see the movie, but it didn’t live up to the book. As my wife pointed out, “The book is always better.” But why is that? The movie was well acted and the effects looked good. So I was trying to think about why it left me disappointed. Part of it was definitely because a lot needed to be cut from the book. The movie focuses on Louis Zamperini’s prison-camp experiences. It certainly is the most-exciting part of the book when Zamperini is facing life-or-death consequences. It only gives his running career and change from petty thief to Olympic champion a partial look and pretty much ignores his battle and recovery from post-traumatic stress. By giving those two sections of his life Read more…
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