Based On a True Story

Does the “based on a true story” feature film live up to the facts? Read the book and then see the movie. They’re available to borrow from the Lititz Public Library.

Foxcatcher : The True Story of My Brother's Murder, John du Pont's Madness, and the Quest for Olympic GoldFoxcatcher: The True Story of My Brother’s Murder, John du Pont’s Madness, and the Quest for Olympic Gold by Mark Schultz
Foxcatcher (2014)
In 1996, an Olympic gold-medal winner and wrestling favorite was shot three times by a du Pont family heir.

The Butler: A Witness to History by Wil Haygood
Lee Daniel’s the Butler (2013)
Cecil Gaines was a devoted husband, father and White House butler who served eight Presidential administrations during the turbulent politics and civil rights battles of the 20th century.

Philomena: A Mother, Her Son, and a Fifty-Year Search by Martin Sixsmith
Philomena (2013)
Nearly fifty years after conceiving a child out of wedlock, a mother embarks on a journey to locate the son she gave up for adoption.

American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History by Chris Kyle
American Sniper (2014)
A Navy SEAL sniper saves countless lives on the battlefield and strives to be a good husband and father from halfway around the world.

Captain PhillipsA Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea by Richard Phillips
Captain Phillips (2013)
In 2009, Somali pirates hijacked the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, which was the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.

The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
A young stockbroker loses his notorious investment firm and life of glamour and excess when a scandal destroys his empire and sends him to prison.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
Unbroken (2014)
Olympian and war hero Louis Zamperini survived in a raft for 47 days after a near-fatal plane crash in WWII, only to be caught by the Japanese Navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.

Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen by Jane Hawking
The Theory of Everything (2014)
Renowned astrophysicist falls in love with a fellow Cambridge student, receives a life-shattering diagnosis at twenty-one-years-of-age and embarks on an ambitious scientific study of time.

Mandela : Long Walk to FreedomLong Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom (2013)
A chronicle of Mandela’s coming of age, education and twenty-seven years in prison before becoming President and working to rebuild his country’s once segregated society.

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson
A Walk in the Woods (2015)
Instead of retiring to enjoy his loving wife and family, Bill Bryson challenges himself to hike the 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail.

The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel
The Monuments Men (2014)
An unlikely WWII platoon is tasked with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their rightful owners.

Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free by Hector Tobar
The 33 (2015)
When a gold and copper mine collapses it traps 33 miners underground for sixty-nine days.

The Big Short : Inside the Doomsday MachineThe Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis
The Big Short (2015)
Four players in the world of high-finance predict the credit and housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s, and decide to take on the big banks for their greed and lack of foresight.

April 29, 2015