Literature, Poetry, and Books
You think you struggle with writing? Consider this WaPo profile of Laura Hillenbrand, author of Seabiscuit and Unbroken. Hillenbrand suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome so crippling that for two years she could not leave her DC house nor, for months, even her room.
In the carefully calibrated world of Laura Hillenbrand, every reaction has an equal and opposite reaction. On one day, she might agree to an interview but skip a shower. Energy is finite, and she typically has enough for one activity a day. She is constantly measuring herself, monitoring herself. She might write a bestseller - she might write two - but the ensuing fame will touch her only tangentially. She will not see her books in Barnes & Noble.
The profile explores not only her writing on a champion horse and a champion athlete who suffered as WW II POW but also the love between her and her political theorist husband, a Thucydides scholar. Both attended Kenyon College.
Thank you Mr. Thomas for providing a link to this wonderful article. Seabiscuit was truly an inspiring story - the book was so much better than the movie - which was also superb. My husband's grandfather was a somewhat famous figure in the horse racing world and often talked about "Biscuit" so the book/movie was even more endearing. I am waiting on Amazon to deliver Unbroken - I look forward to reading it and passing it to my son.
Ms. Hillenbrand is a "exceptional American". God Bless her.