Book cover of Beating Hollywood

Book description

Steve Cuden’s Beating Hollywood examines, piece by piece, how writers, directors, and producers create stories for extraordinary movies by breaking down forty classic films into narrative beats, plot points, and movements to uncover how magic was made.

More than a simple look at what others have done, this book also…


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Why read it?

1 author picked Beating Hollywood as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I loved the practicality of Cuden’s book, which analyzes forty classic movies, thus revealing what makes them work and what makes them classics. I also appreciated his tips to aspiring screenwriters and found them right on.

His clear writing style made it easy for me to read and a valuable resource for my students. 

If you love Beating Hollywood...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

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Almost Home by Howard Means,

Almost Home is a fictional retelling of the last great tragedy of the Civil War.

In late April 1865, almost 2,000 newly freed Union prisoners of war are packed onto the steamer Sultana, in poor repair and with a listed capacity of 376 passengers. Among them are four Indiana soldiers…

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