In this Sunday’s “New York Times” Magazine section, best selling author Lauren Hillenbrand was profiled. The author of two mega-hit non fiction books, Hillenbrand’s life story is as compelling as the stories she has written about.
When she was a college student, she was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. A disease that many people, including doctors, dismissed as more psychological than physical, its symptoms are fatigue, excruciating pain and debilitating vertigo. She has suffered with this disease since her early twenties and continues to experience its effects, sometimes for long periods.
In spite of this disability, she has written two best-selling books on two very diverse subjects. “Seabiscuit” was the story of the prize winning horse, its owner, trainer, and jockey. “Unbroken” tells the story of Louie Zamperini, Olympic runner and World War II POW.
Since she rarely can leave her home, her research techniques differ from other non-fiction writers. When writing “Seabiscuit” she relied on newspapers of the era. When she was writing “Unbroken,” Zamperini was still alive and she would have long telephone conversations with him.
I usually don’t read non-fiction, but I have read both of these books and found myself completely caught up in the stories and Hillenbrand’s story telling.