Olasky: I wrote a column in
World about never playing catch with my father, and then received many, many letters from readers containing their own laments. It struck me that a book telling a true story while pointing to understanding and forgiveness would be useful.
Moore: Several of us are old enough to remember the cruelty perpetuated by renowned actress Joan Crawford against her daughter. Crawford’s daughter eventually wrote a blockbuster tell-all titled
Mommie Dearest. That book also became a movie starring Faye Dunaway. How did you wrestle with telling some of the dark things about your family while not falling prey to being simply a purveyor of prurient details?
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It’s been my privilege to be in the personal spaces of several writers. Among others, Pulitzer winner Tony Horwitz warmly welcomed me at his home on Martha’s Vineyard as did William F. Buckley at his place on Long Island Sound.
I have interviewed over 200 authors. Everyone has their own style with reading, capturing what they have read, research, and then writing. As I writer myself, I have settled on an approach I feel comfortable with.
Scott Newstok is professor of English and founding director of the Pearce Shakespeare Endowment at Rhodes College. Among other works, he is the author of the recently released How to Think Like Shakespeare: Lessons from a Renaissance Education. How to Think like Shakespeare: Lessons from a Renaissance Education (Skills for Scholars): Newstok, Scott: 9780691227696: Amazon.com: Books
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