Five Surprising Lessons of Hope in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road

Five Surprising Lessons of Hope in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road

Award-winning, movie-spawning, but also hopeful—even out of ashes of the world’s end? Yes, The Road by Cormac McCarthy is all those things and more.

The Road was released in 2006, but I sure enjoyed reading it in 2020. This has been a more apocalyptic year than most, and yet reading about true despair and desolation makes even the world’s current circumstances seem mild. I also have more appreciation for the genre now that I’ve written my own apocalyptic books: The Omega Trilogy.

I think we read and watch dystopia because we yearn for hope. Here are five surprising lessons of hope that shine through the darkness of The Road.

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12 Writing Tips Hidden In The Garden: Brought To You By Cold Mountain

12 Writing Tips Hidden In The Garden: Brought To You By Cold Mountain

It’s planting season where I live. Buds grow, flowers bloom, and vibrant energy courses through the air (this energy, also known as pollen, causes frequent sneezes). If you are gardening or writing like me, you’re in luck. The novel Cold Mountain contains twelve time-tested tips to inspire your craft. The lessons are buried deep in this Civil War saga and National Book Award winner, so I’ve dug them up and scrubbed them clean.

Behold, here are a dozen secrets to a banner crop and brilliant writing.

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Three Things That Turned A Violent Dystopian Novel Into A Required Reading Classic

Three Things That Turned A Violent Dystopian Novel Into A Required Reading Classic

What books were you required to read in school? If you are like most Americans, it may have included The Great Gatsby, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Catcher in the Rye, and Lord of the Flies. Each of these books has a fascinating backstory. Each has become embedded in the culture through the millions of formative minds that read them. But only one is a bloody dystopia in which students themselves carry out the violence: Lord of the Flies.

I recently revisited the book as I worked on my current novel, The Green Tower. I figured I could learn from another chaotic struggle in a jungle. But Lord of the Flies is much more than that. Here are three things that have turned this novel into a classic that has endured—long before books like Hunger Games made dystopia cliché.

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Reading A 1,000-Page Book Is Like Running A Marathon

Reading A 1,000-Page Book Is Like Running A Marathon

When was the last time you read a book over 1,000 pages? I mean really read it. Not skimming, reading parts, or cramming with cliff notes before a test. I bet it has been a long time, if ever.

There’s no judgment here. There’s just this: we’re more distracted than ever, so reading a long book has become a monumental task. It’s harder than running a marathon, in my opinion, and I’ve done both. In fact, I might even invent a new bumper sticker like those ubiquitous white circles with the bold, black numbers “26.2”—except this one will say: “1,000+”. Here’s how to join the club, and why you should.

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Why Books Can Be So Much Better Than Their Movies: Five Examples from Ready Player One

Why Books Can Be So Much Better Than Their Movies: Five Examples from Ready Player One

When I was younger I watched Jurassic Park. I loved it. Then people told me I should read the book, because it was even better. I didn’t believe them. How could a book about dinosaurs be better than actually seeing them, in all their stomping and vicious action? But they were right. I read the book, and it was better. Now I usually try to read a book before I watch its movie.

Ready Player One is the latest example. I read Earnest Cline’s book a couple months before watching Steven Spielberg’s movie. I really enjoyed both, but the major differences surprised me. The book generally fares better with reviewers, averaging 4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon, while the movie scores 73% on Rotten Tomatoes. And yet, surprise, surprise, Hollywood Reporter says the movie is better. I disagree. Here are the top five reasons why I think the book prevails.

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