Catherine Hand's own memoir "Becoming a Warrior" tells of her life as the child of prominent parents in both the political and entertainment arenas, coming of age amidst a family of 5 siblings living in Beverly Hills and the suburbs of D.C., her six years in the entertainment industry as a receptionist for TV pioneer Norman Leer, and of a happily married mother of three until the tragic, unexpected death of her beloved husband. Hand's deft writing style is engaging but too often belabored within the frame of her 50 year struggle to see her life-altering young adult novel, "A' Wrinkle' in Time" made into a major motion picture. At the suggestion of the school's librarian, where Catherine, age ten, and "not a book reader," was in a "time-out" first began to read Madeline L'Engle Newberry Medal Y/A fiction, (1962). The rest as they say is history or as Oprah (who is cast in the film) would call it, an ah hah moment. This moment persists off/on through her life as a driving mission. "Wrinkle" covers more genres than merely a Y/A novel with a strong heroine. It fits into categories of sci-fi, fantasy, high fantasy and children's literature; perhaps the demographic for whom the book is intended as discovered by Catherine. Also true, "Wrinkle' was never put on the shelf for long by Catherine. Although, the unrelenting, life-long commitment for this pummels the reader who can't help but ask why this particular, omnipotent pull. Catherine's memoir reads as an odyssey in this pursuit which harkens its mystery as to why. As the memoir winds down quickly post mission accomplished, Catherine ponders the profundity of time and energy devoted to this one goal. "I decided it was time to finally face why I stayed so committed to bringing 'Wrinkle," to the screen." Catherine's epiphany to write about her arduous labor of love returns her to her ironclad attachment to the book as she decides to write about this quest. I applaud her advocacy for reading as empowering yet, I ponder the positive impacts her efforts may have achieved had they been channeled towards enhancing literacy. The overdue question is whether this became an unwarranted obsession. Those who enjoy reading about tenacity, tedium and rejection essential to getting film projects produced will find this read inspiring. The years spent working with Norman, benefitting from his mentoring were among the highlights of this saga. So too, were the collaborations and burgeoning friendships developed with Madeline and other amazing individuals. Should Catherine decide upon honing her writing skills per her next great venture, her life provides plenty of spellbinding fodder. Hand's experiences in entertainment, politics and perseverance through personal tragedies is material only she could tell and make it resonate well.
No comments:
Post a Comment