Bridge of Spies
Hidden Figures
The Zookeeper's Wife
A United Kingdom
Lion
Lion
Things I found in common:
-All take place in the recent past
-All are based on true stories
-All feature some sort of prejudice/segregation/class inequality and the fighting of it
AND...
-All are based on books.
Yay for books!
Bridge of Spies is based partly on Strangers on a Bridge by James Donovan. The part I found most interesting was the ethical dilemmas centering around the rights of a foreign spy during the height of the Cold War.
Hidden Figures is based on Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly. I'd never heard about this corps of African-American women in NASA, and we all should have known.
The Zookeeper's Wife is based on The Zookeeper's Wife; A War Story by Diane Ackerman. It's not hard to make Poland in WWII emotional, but this does an exceptional job.
A United Kingdom is based on Colour Bar; The Triumph of Seretse Khama and His Nation by Susan Williams. Another story I'd never heard, but a great inspiration in the fight against segregation and inequality.
Lion is based on A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley with Larry Buttrose. It's a unique story I heard about first through an interview with the little boy in the story, now a man. The movie didn't disappoint.
So if you're wondering about your next writing project...take some inspiration from these important and enduring themes or from the world around you.
Melinda Brasher's fiction appears in Nous, Electric Spec, Intergalactic Medicine Show, and other magazines For an e-book collection of some of her favorite published pieces, check out Leaving Home.
Her newest book, Cruising Alaska on a Budget; a Cruise and Port Guide helps budget travelers plan a trip to majestic Alaska. Visit her online at http://www.melindabrasher.com.
3 comments:
Omg! I am so glad you wrote about this. You may know that I my poetry and fiction are informed and inspired by #tolerance and my nonfiction by fighting #bookbigotry. I'm so glad there are readers and movie lovers like you out there!
Melinda, what a terrific post! I want to read these books, they all sound very interesting. You woke me up to pay more attention to the books behind movies. Also, to the inspiration behind them. Thank you!
Melinda, I haven't seen these movies or read the books, but the books I have read that turned into movies are always better than the movies.
Everything starts with a story!
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