. I really enjoy the service - if you aspire to be a writer, you should check it out.]
This past weekend, I watched a beautiful documentary called "Stone Reader". Directed by Mark Moskowitz, it's the story of a book called "The Stones of Summer", by a man named Dow Morrison. The book itself is described as a "coming of age novel" set in Iowa, telling a story which "succeeds in conveying the rebellious energies of youth, the essential madness of adolescent reality."
In 1972, the 18 year old Mark Moskowitz read a book review in the New York Times written by John Seelye, reviewing Mossman's novel.
"[It] cannot possibly be called a promising first novel for the simple reason that it is such a marvelous achievement that it puts forth much more than mere promise." wrote Mr. Seelye in 1972. "Fulfillment is perhaps the best word, fulfillment at the first stroke, which is so often the sign of superior talent and which is also a frightening thing, for the author may remain forever awed by the force and witness of his first production. I don't think, however, that this will happen in the present instance. Dow Mossman's novel is a whole river of words fed by a torrential imagination and such a source is not likely to stop flowing."
Unfortunately, it appears this particular source DID stop flowing. Unable to finish the book in 1972, Mr. Moskowitz carried for 25 years, packing and unpacking it as he moved, picking it up and starting it before putting it back down again, unfinished. When he did finally finish the novel, he was amazed by how much he'd enjoyed it. Thinking to find more books by this author, he was even more amazed to find that - not only had the author never published anything else - it seemed no one anywhere had ever heard of the book. And thus he began his journey to find Mr. Mossman and learn what had happened to him.
Whether or not the book itself is any good, I have not yet had occasion to personally verify. However, this is entry is not about the book, but about the movie. As Mark first begins to attempt to purchase copies of the book online, he finds that - not only is the book out of print - but the publisher has long gone bankrupt. When he shows the scenes of himself encouraging his own friends to try and read the used copies he's purchased from them, I felt my interest in the movie really begin to spark - I've long carried dozens of extra copies of the books "Dandelion Wine" by Ray Bradbury and "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson so that I might grant them to people who have not personally had the pleasure of reading these wonderful gems of literature.
As he digs deeper into the history of the book and the author, Mark interviews many people who have amazing ties to the history of literature in this country. He personally interviews John Seelye, who wrote that first Times review of the book, and the two spend what appears to be several days just enjoying the experience of sharing a love of books with a kindred spirit, and the movie really begins to come into its own. Regardless of the result of his "investigation", you begin to realize that the movie is a worthy experience - it unfolds itself as a sonnet to the joys of reading and an ode to the common bond that ties all book-lovers together into a silent community.
Several of the side paths of this investigation introduce us to authors who have made their own marks upon the world, and as the movie draws to a close we travel with Mark to the University of Iowa where we are introduced to a bit of the history behind something called the "Iowa Writers' Workshop." Considered "the number one creative writing MFA program in the United States", this program brings us such authors as W.D. Snodgrass, Philip Levine, Leslie Ullman, Philip Roth, Jane Smiley and Kurt Vonnegut.
In the end, Mossman is discovered living in his childhood home. The strain of writing and publishing his first novel broke him, and he spent some time in a sanitarium. Having made a total sum of $7000 off of his novel, he has spent the previous 19 years working as a welder and taking care of his dying mother. He reads avidly, but no longer writes. The time Mark spends with Dow discussing the path his life has taken has - like many of the other interviews in the movie - rings of the deep and abiding love of books and reading that I hope I can pass on to my children. And, as if he could read my mind, Mark litters the movie with scenes of his own child enjoying book after book.
If you enjoy reading, and have ever thought of writing a book yourself, I recommend this movie. You might also be interested in joining
"The Lost Books Club". Feel free to mention your own favorite or "lost books" here, and - if you decide to watch the movie - let me know what you thought.