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valkyriesryde · 4 years

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Release the Hounds {6/?}

Chapter Six: Am I Supposed to Fight?

Pairing: Persephone!Steve Rogers x Hades!Reader

Chapter Summary: Both sides are preparing but the question of whether they will actually have to fight is still standing. And everyone has an opinion.

Word Count: ...2,000ish lol

A/N: Sooooo I’m a slack human being but I’m not giving up on this story! Just have a bit of a busy life at the moment hahah here you go fambam please forgive me. I’m going to try and smash out several chapters in the next week before I go on holiday/school starts back up.

Series Masterlist ~ Masterlist

As Hades stepped into the home of her brother she slipped off her coat and threw it over the back of the couch in the first living room.

“Where art thou my dear brother?” She called through the house and a sweet whistle sounded down the stairs and around her. She dressed and presented herself much more casual than when she met with Thor. She no longer adorned her business attire, dressed in black jeans and a loose t-shirt. Her boots hitting the marble as she climbed the stairs.

Loki’s house is extravagant. The outside something like a greek temple with its decorated ionic columns and statues. The inside much the same in its sense of power. But Loki likes to be comfortable. His home has a, well, homely feel to it. Art adorns every wall, in every corner but the blanket is thrown lazily over the couch, there’s a pile of books on the coffee table and as she walks down the hallway she can smell the sea salt as if they were right next to the ocean. She can hear the horses in his backyard through the open windows. Hades always enjoyed coming to Loki’s home because thats what it was. A home. It wasn’t a place of work, apart from his office, his children come and go as they please, there’s always dishes to be washed and laundry to be folded. She felt welcomed here.

“Since when do you work this late?” She leaned on the doorframe of his office as Loki looked up from his piles of paper, his long black hair disheveled from running his fingers through it.

“I’m a very hard worker excuse you,” he smiled and offered her the seat in front of his desk, reaching into a draw next to him and bringing out two glasses and a bottle of nectar in a beautifully adorned glass bottle. Hades’ eyes lingered on the bottle as she ached for him to just hand the thing to her so she could pour it down her throat. Lord she needed a drink after this week.

“And I’m beloved by all,” her voice was sarcastic and she drooled as he handed her the glass and raised his eyebrows.

“By me especially,” he winked. Loki, forever the cheeky bastard.

“My biggest supporter,” she smiled and they clinked their glasses.

Loki looked back down at his work, his forehead crinkled and his lip pulled between his teeth, she had an inkling to rip out the paper from under him but knew better to disturb him while he thought. It could be important afterall.

So instead her eyes wandered, they moved to the ceiling tall bookcase to his right, spotting some of her favourites amongst his collection. She stood and walked towards the giant fish tank he had to his left and peered in, watching the exotic fish minding their business.

“Why can’t people be more like you,” she muttered under her breath and the red and blue fish with a tail that looked like it belonged to a feather dancer stared blankly back at her.

“They don’t like being stared at,” Loki chimed from his desk, his attention still on his papers. She sighed and fell back into the seat.

“Perhaps if you joined me for dinner and a drink or two I wouldn’t. Why are you working, work is off limits on our nights.” She was getting agitated, her entire week had been filled with work, forgetting about the normal stuff, the addition of the council and that damn god of spring was starting to give her a headache. “I’m sick of work! I just want a night off, please Loki.”

“Well I’m sick of you being treated poorly by assholes who think they’re better.” His voice was stern and she leaned back for a second in shock at it. Loki was not often passionate about things. Unless someone had spoken poorly against him or, in Odysseus’ case injured his son and was just a “lying good for nothing asshole!” Loki fought when it was his reputation on the line, but this, this was different, the last time Hades had seen Loki fight for someone other than himself was when he went by Poseidon and they fought side by side with Thor, then Zeus, against their father. Hades prayed a war would not come of this strife that was forming between the Olympians.

“Thor told me what you’re doing, why didn’t you come to me about this? I would have told y-“

“You would have told me to stop, that it’s for nothing but I’m sorry to say Hades, you’re wrong.”

Steve had his nose buried in his notebook while his mother went on about her campaign to “keep that wicked witch of the Underworld from getting her death grip on the council.” He sketched out the cornucopia from the gates, the flowers that had adorned it. The pages were covered in those sketches, one of her crown, how it was burned into his memory but he didn’t dare draw her face. Currently his pencil shaded a hand, with a vine twisted around it, the thorns piercing its skin and Steve couldn’t help but feel the prickle of the thorns in his own hand.

“Steve!” He jumped at the sound of his mother’s voice. The book slammed shut and he slid into his pocket as she dropped a clipboard into his hands. “Go around the council’s homes, get their signature. Thor needs proof that we will not stand for her to sit with us. We must band together in a time like this. I have no doubt the olympians will agree.” He dropped the clipboard onto the table and shook his head. She paid no attention to him, instead continuing her work as she wrote notes for the debate. “Sing your name too, we can’t forget about ourselves.”

He picked up the clipboard and walked out the door making his way out of the house towards Bucky’s home first.

Bucky’s house always confused Steve, the interior and furniture changed every couple millennia but the outside, the general idea of it was always the same and it was never extravagant. Most homes in Olympus didn’t change much, they just added things to keep up with the times. Bucky’s home was basically a shack. A cabin in the woods. A beach house with the lake view to match. Made of dark wood with a porch that stretched around the entire front of the house. Bucky’s home was one that matched its owner in its entirety. Bucky was a relaxed man, he took things as they came and he was never very serious. It was one of the reasons Steve enjoyed his company so much because when his mother was up his ass or his work was being exceptionally hard Bucky was there with a pat on the back and a drink in his hand inviting him to watch the sunset over the water.

They were best friends, could always count on one another no matter what, Steve knew that Bucky had his back always, and so he knew now that no matter how much Bucky disapproved of the situation he would still back Steve.

“You’re mother is going to kill you.” Bucky sat leaning on his knees on the couch, his beer long forgotten about on the coffee table as he held the clipboard in one hand shaking his head at Steve.

“Pretty sure she always kind of wants to kill me.”

“Never. You’re her special little boy, her one perfect creation,” Bucky cocked a smile at his friend who rolled his eyes back.

“Shut up,” Steve leaned back and sipped at his own beer, watching it spin in his hands. It was a solid plan, if he went to the right people it would work, he could go behind his mother and her campaign and plead Hades’ case. Maybe even talk to Loki, though he wasn’t sure if Loki would believe him. He wasn’t overly sure if anyone would believe him.

“You already know I’m on your side Steve. I know Hades, I remember the last time she sat on the council. She’s smart, she has the knowledge and the authority, she deserves to be there, but the younger gods, the once who have forgotten what she did, the ones that have never worked with her. They don’t know. They eat out of Demeter’s hands with all her bullshit about satan and how we ‘don’t need the dead in the business of the living’,” Bucky mocked Demeter, he was never afraid to do that in front of Steve, at first he felt slightly weird about it, like his mother would know if he ever spoke a bad word about her but he soon realised the Bucky was safe, he could be himself and say what he wanted without consequences, well, with little consequences.

Steve thought about what Bucky had said, he knew that Bucky would be on his side, Bucky had never not shown support for Hades herself, just, ya know, the stupid shit Steve did in Hades…

But something stayed with Steve. ‘the ones that have never worked with her’, had Bucky worked with Hades? When would Bucky have to work with her? Bucky worked with the sun, he worked with prophecies and medicine, none of which concerned the dead.

“Start with Becca, she and I are one of the same, Pallas-Nat, she’ll be on your side too, I know she’s already talked to Loki about it. That’s who you should go to after, to him, if he knows, if he has confirmation from Nat, I know they hate each other because of Athens and Odysseus but he trusts her word, he trusts that she’ll choose the winning side.” Bucky went on and on about who Steve should see, who he knew that would be on his side.

He listened intently, took note and made a plan of what he should say to each. To Becca, goddess of the hunt, the best way was to talk to her about Bucky, they always fought side by side. To Natasha, goddess of wisdom, it was going to be harder. But if Bucky was right then she already agreed with Steve, they just needed to join forces.

Hades,

I don’t know when you’ll get this, I plan on giving it to Peter to pass on, I know I can trust him to get this to you safely. There’s five days before the council debates and I thought you would appreciate an update as to what is happening in Olympus.

I imagine you have your own ways, maybe spies, Loki has probably discussed matters with you also. He said he had told you he would fight whether you liked it or not, how you told him that he was stubborn. You said I was stubborn as well, I guess I am, but I can’t help fighting for what I believe in. I believe in you. I believe that you should have a say and so do many of the others, Loki, Becca, Natasha, and Jane all agree with me. I think we actually have a shot but Loki thinks it will take your appearance to convince Thor and the lesser gods and nymphs that will be present.

I hope to see you there, please.

Yours,

Steve

Hades and Sam sat side by side on the balcony that overlooked the gates. They watched as night engulfed them and there was an eery silence between the two. A fresh argument still sitting between them, two sides of the same fight.

Hades’ mind was fighting with itself, her guard was being torn down brick by brick as Loki and Steve tried to convince her to stand before the twelve Olympians. But Sam wasn’t a fan of the idea.

“What if it’s a trap,” he argued, “we don’t know what Demeter has up her sleeve,” he said, “we don’t need them!” He raised his voice and she let him get it all out.

“Are you finished yet?” She brushed her hand over her dress and looked at him as Sam nodded. “You’re right.”

Sam was shocked at what she said, he expected her to rationalise her reasons, he expected her to tell him to mind his own business, to tell him that she would stand up for the Underworld. But she didn’t.

“I’m what now?”

“You’re right Sam. Everything about this is stupid. The living and the dead shouldn’t be mixed, bad things happen, bad things like husbands wanting to resurrect their wives, like people thinking they can make deals in order to mess with what is natural. They don’t respect us or what we do here, you’re right, it could be a trap. Demeter will make it a living hell for myself and the rest of you here if she can. You’re right, we don’t need them, we run things differently here, our systems aren’t the same.”

“Then what…” Sam looked at Hades in awe, there was fire in her eyes and he knew that look, she was sick of being undermined, she was angry, she was determined and if he knew her as well as he thought he did he knew what that look meant. She had a plan. “Then why are you considering it?”

“Because they need us.”

Chapter Seven: Here Comes Trouble

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jimblanceusa · 4 years

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Reading list: The Denver Post sports department’s favorite sports books to ride out the coronavirus

With everyone sitting around the house these days, and nowhere to go, what better time to get lost in a few books?

If you’re looking for a new title — or perhaps an old one — The Denver Post sports department has compiled a list of its favorite sports books. Even with a stay-at-home order in place, this ought to keep you busy for a while.

“Ball Four,” by Jim Bouton (1970) — The tell-all that rocked baseball, Seattle Pilots pitcher Jim Bouton journals the 1969 season and the trials, tribulations, victories and hilarities that go into everyday life as a big-league ballplayer. From Mickey Mantle to Bowie Kuhn, Bouton paints a vivid picture of major-league life, including the unsavory parts such as player infidelities and widespread amphetamine use. Still relevant to this day, especially in its portrayal of labor strife between players and owners. Kyle Newman

“The Boys of Summer,” by Roger Kahn (1972) — A seminal coming-of-age book that totally transfixed this young farm boy who could only dream of the world Roger Kahn inhabited. It was the storytelling, the weaving of personal reflections and the dreams of young men, and what happens when those men grow old, that made it so memorable. Kahn’s book spawned a genre of insider accounts, none living up to the original. Scott Monserud

“The Last Season of Weeb Ewbank,” by Paul Zimmerman (1974) — Before Dr. Z became Dr. Z of Sports Illustrated fame, he was the Jets beat writer for the New York Post. I came across this book when it was referenced in another football book and immediately went to Amazon to buy it. The book about Ewbank’s final season as the Jets’ coach is a great read about getting behind the scenes of a training camp and NFL game week and just how much access media had in the old days to the teams they covered. Ryan O’Halloran

“Once A Runner,” by John L. Parker Jr. (1978) — A novel about undergraduate miler Quenton Cassidy at a fictional university based on the University of Florida. The 1978 book is a cult classic among serious long-distance runners and tells the story of Cassidy’s extreme training rituals, under the tutelage of Olympian Bruce Denton, in his quest to run a sub-4-minute mile. Daniel Boniface

Matt Schubert, The Denver Post

Some of The Denver Post sports department’s favorite books.

“Breaks of the Game,” by David Halberstam (1981) — A Pulitzer Prize winning journalist steps into the chaotic, complicated mess that was the NBA of the late 1970s, when issues of race, labor strife and drug abuse cast a shadow over a struggling league. Halberstam embeds himself with the 1977-78 Portland Trail Blazers, who suffer a tragic fall from grace a year after stunning the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1977 NBA Finals. Aside from the storytelling, what makes this book exceptional are the figures Halberstam captures, including the irascible Maurice Lucas, the enigmatic Bill Walton and the brilliant Dr. Jack Ramsay. Matt Schubert

“Shoeless Joe,” by W. P. Kinsella (1982) — Kinsella weaves a magical tale about baseball, heroes, love and dreams. An Iowa farmer hears a voice: “If you build it, he will come.” The “he” is Shoeless Joe Jackson of the 1919 Chicago Black Sox scandal. The “it” is a baseball stadium carved out of a cornfield. Even if you have seen the movie “Field of Dreams” that was based on Kinsella’s novel, it is worth picking up. The author’s vivid descriptions and wonderful characters (some of whom don’t appear on screen) will transport you to a cornfield in Iowa where dreams do come true. Lori Punko

“Life Its Ownself,” by Dan Jenkins (1984) — The list of sequels that surpass the originals is a short one, but leave it to the late, great, reprobate Jenkins to do just that. “Life Its Ownself” steps into the big shoes of “Semi-Tough” and bursts the outsoles. NFL running back Billy Clyde Puckett tells the story, and I dare anyone to go more than two pages without having to stop to laugh out loud. You could argue that the book didn’t age well, but it remains a superb time capsule of 1980s sports culture — and often a nice piece of wisdom about the title. Mike Judson

“The New Thinking Man’s Guide To Pro Football,” Paul Zimmerman (1984) — Bill Barnwell? Peter King? Dr. Z got there first. Zimmerman wrote about football like the game was Chaucer, and he was the coolest literature professor on the planet. The man timed performances of the national anthem, then wrote a column about it. Like “Ball Four,” many of the universal truths in the “Thinking Man’s Guide” — and some of the B.S. it called out — still ring true. Sean Keeler

“Hajime no Ippo,” George Morikawa (1989-present) — For more than 30 years, this long-running Japanese graphic novel has followed the journey of Makunouchi Ippo and his gradual mastery of the sweet science of boxing. Morikawa blends the intricate dance between opponents inside the ring with a sweet coming-of-age story that happens outside it. Joe Nguyen

“If I Never Get Back” by Darryl Brock (1989) — A baseball writer struggling with his everyday life stumbles while boarding a train en route to cover a game. When he comes to, he discovers he’s a young player boarding a train to join his new team — the Cincinnati Red Stockings — in the summer of 1869. Realizing he’s a mediocre player immersed in the early days of professional baseball, he uses his knowledge of the sport and its history to help his team in other ways. (He invents the bunt and ballpark food.) Along the way, he develops a passion for life and takes advantage of the era — including seeking out Mark Twain. — TJ Hutchinson

“Friday Night Lights,” by Buzz Bissinger (1990) — The town is Odessa, Texas in 1988, the team is Permian High School football and the dream is the glory that winning brings. But there are huge costs. Teenagers’ lives are fulfilled but also shattered, values are compromised and football becomes a false god. As the New York Times book review put it: ” ‘Friday Night Lights’ offers a biting indictment of the sports craziness that grips … most of American society, while at the same time providing a moving evocation of its powerful allure.” Patrick Saunders

“Loose Balls,” by Terry Pluto (1990) — Marvin Barnes. Fly Williams. Wendell Ladner. Slick Leonard. The ABA had more characters than a Warner Brothers cartoon, and Pluto’s first-person, anecdotal collection is a stitch from start to finish. The truth of the nine seasons of the ABA was stranger than Will Ferrell’s fictional “Semi-Pro” film could ever hope to be. And twice as funny, to boot. One of the grandpappies, for better or for worse, of the “oral history” style of sports storytelling. Sean Keeler

“Worst Team Money Could Buy,” by Bob Klapisch (1993) — Devoured this book as a high school student and couldn’t wait to cover pro sports one day. Klapisch, then with the New York Daily News, and Harper, then with the New York Post, chronicled the overpaid/underperforming 1992 New York Mets. In a month-by-month chronicle, the writers inserted vignettes about a day in the life of a baseball writer, being trapped on the tabloid’s back page and catching up with old sources, plus lists of their all-time good guys, bad guys, best cities, etc. Ryan O’Halloran

“The Life of Reilly,” by Rick Reilly (2000) — Ok, so this is definitely a stump for a Colorado native and former Denver Post sportswriter, but the point stands: Reilly owned the back page of Sports Illustrated for over two decades, and this collection of sports columns will make you laugh, cry and feel all sorts of ways about sports. With his signature style and wit, Reilly brings out the important and thoughtful side of sports, with plenty of Colorado players, coaches and stories featured in the book. Kyle Newman

“The Punch,” by John Feinstein (2002) — It would be nearly impossible to compile a list of great sports books without mentioning at least one title from Feinstein’s voluminous catalog. While some may prefer “A Season on the Brink” or “A Good Walk Spoiled,” there’s a human element to “The Punch” that makes it one of his best. Detailing the events surrounding perhaps the most infamous punch in professional sports, Feinstein shows how one event forever altered the lives of the two men involved in it — the L.A. Lakers’ Kermit Washington’s and Houston Rockets’ Rudy Tomjanovich. Matt Schubert

“Moneyball,” by Michael Lewis (2003) — The sabermetrics that are now standard in today’s game were just beginning to make their way into MLB front offices during the 1990s and around the turn of the century. Lewis’ modern-day baseball classic profiles general manager Billy Beane and Oakland as the franchise takes advantage of market inefficiencies to make the low-budget A’s competitive. Kyle Newman

“Positively Fifth Street,” by James McManus (2003) — Gambling. Murder. The mob. This intricately woven tale of Las Vegas and the World Series of Poker takes readers on a wild ride as McManus makes a run to the Main Event final table while also covering the murder trial of Rick Tabish and Sandy Murphy for Harper’s Magazine. Along the way, McManus recounts the history of no-limit Texas Hold’em, the signature game of the WSOP, as well as the story of the Binion family and its patriarch Benny Binion — owner of Binion’s Horseshoe casino, WSOP founder and father of Tabish and Murphy’s alleged victim, Ted Binion. Matt Schubert

“Three Nights in August,” by Buzz Bissinger (2005) — Seen by some as the baseball establishment’s answer to “Moneyball,” this book follows St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa as he navigates a critical series against the Chicago Cubs in August 2003. Bissinger, who also penned the classic “Friday Night Lights,” takes readers inside the mind of one of baseball’s greatest tacticians as he wrestles with how to manage the Cardinals’ lineup, pitching staff and his own omnipresent demons. Matt Schubert

“Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball’s Last Hero,” by David Maraniss (2006) — This is so much more than a biography of a baseball legend. It explores racism in America, paints a picture of baseball in a changing world and goes beyond the myth of Clemente, who played baseball with “a beautiful fury.” Maraniss’ prose paints Clemente as a true hero, and not just because he died in a plane crash on Dec. 31, 1972, while delivering aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua at the age of 38. Patrick Saunders

“Game of Shadows,” by Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada (2006) — The lying. The cheating. The news conferences with athletes professing their innocence and astonishment that a drug test had come back positive. Read “Game of Shadows,” the brilliantly written expose by the reporters who broke the BALCO story, and you’ll lose any illusions about the depth of cheating within professional sports. Decades from now it’ll stand the test of time as the definitive accounting of the steroid era that nearly brought down baseball. Scott Monserud

“The Blind Side,” by Michael Lewis (2006) — Few non-fiction novelists capture a subject quite like Lewis, who’s extensive and eclectic canon of work includes “Moneyball,” “The Big Short” and “Liar’s Poker.” In his foray into football, Lewis examines the historical evolution of the left tackle position as edge rushers like Lawrence Taylor changed the way the game was played. Football luminaries like Bill Walsh, Bill Parcells and Nick Saban all make appearances, as Lewis deftly weaves in the incredible story of Michael Oher, an undiscovered gem who spent his early years living on the streets of Memphis. Matt Schubert

“Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich,” by Mark Kriegel (2007) — As a teenager, I became fascinated by Maravich but never got to see him play on TV. I had to make do reading stories in Sports Illustrated about an electrifying basketball magician wearing gray, floppy sweat socks and attracting sellout crowds wherever he played. Kriegel’s book is a wonderfully written fast-paced tale of a man who transformed the game he loved but was haunted by demons he could not shake. Scott Monserud

“Arnie & Jack,” by Ian O’Connor (2008) — It would be too easy to list a John Feinstein golf book since I’ve read them all. I went with O’Connor’s book that was released about a decade ago. The cover picture – Arnold Palmer helping Jack Nicklaus line up a putt during a team competition – was a great hook and recapped their battles on the course, but Palmer’s command of the sport’s fans and endorsement opportunities. A great read. Ryan O’Halloran

“The Book of Basketball” by Bill Simmons (2009) — This humorous and thoughtful deep dive into the history of the NBA is essential reading for any hoops head. After giving his thoughts on “the secret” of the game, Simmons delves into how the league got to where it was in 2009 (going all the way back to the days of Mikan) before ranking the greatest teams, champions and players off all time in a witty and exhaustive manner. Sure, Simmons gets a little verbose. And, yes, he goes heavy on a few ham-fisted pop-culture references. But if you care at all about the Association, this is the breeziest 697-page read you can find. Matt Schubert

“Baseball in the Garden of Eden: The Secret History of the Early Game,” by John Thorn (2011) — Written by the official historian of Major League Baseball, Thorn enlightens baseball fans as to the game’s true roots. Who really invented America’s pastime, and who were the movers and shifters in the early stages of a game dominated by gambling? Surprising and informative, even the most studied baseball fans will get plenty out of this piece of history. Kyle Newman

“The Art of Fielding,” Chad Harbach (2011) — This novel is set at a small midwestern college and tells the story of elite shortstop Henry Skrimshander, who is destined to be a first-round pick in the MLB draft before a routine throw derails his life and upends his college experience. The characters are rich and the story engrossing. There’s no need to be a baseball fan to get wrapped into this story, either. Michael Singer

“Unstoppable” by Anthony Robles, 2013 — An incredible biography about Arizona State’s one-legged wrestling champion. Robles, born without his right leg because of a birth defect, became a wrestling icon with his Division I national championship in 2011. The book profiles the courage and strength he summoned throughout his life and athletic journey, going from a scrawny high school wrestler who got dominated to the one doing the dominating at ASU. Kyle Newman

“The Summer of Beer and Whiskey,” by Edward Achorn (2013) — Set in the rough-and-tumble days of 1880s professional baseball, the book profiles the upstart American Association, which appeared poised to challenge the National League for dominance of the sport. Chris Von der Ahe, an eccentric, innovative and fearless German immigrant, takes center stage as the daring owner of the St. Louis Browns and a founder of the American Association. With popularity in baseball waning because of scandals, gambling and thugs that weighed down the sport in the 1870s, Von der Ahe, the Browns and the American Association breathe new life into the sport. And, of course, there are plenty of colorful characters (and lots of boozing ballplayers) along the way. Kyle Newman

“Captain Class,” by Sam Walker (2017) — What makes a sports team great goes beyond X’s and O’s? What makes a great leader in the locker room can be defined, and the answer might surprise you. For what it’s worth: Avs captain Gabe Landeskog uses it as reference book. Mark Kiszla

“Basketball (and other things),” by Shea Serrano (2017) — Have you ever wondered where Air Bud would get selected in a fictional basketball player draft? What about Lola Bunny (Space Jam), Sidney Deane (White Men Can’t Jump) or Will Smith (Fresh Prince)? Of course you haven’t. Serrano answers the basketball questions you didn’t know you needed answers to. We’re talking trivial questions, like which was the most important NBA championship ever, and more pressing questions, such as “If 1997 Karl Malone and a bear swapped places for a season, who would be more successful?” In other words, essential reading. Michael Singer

“Football For A Buck,” by Jeff Pearlman (2018) — The life and times of the USFL … short in terms of life/times (three years), but long on stories about how the fledgling football league lured several top college players, including Jim Kelly, Reggie White and Herschel Walker, to play in the summer. Pearlman’s narrative is equal parts hilarious and informative — tales about travel, tryouts, pay checks, stadiums and our current commander in chief, who wanted to challenge the NFL in the fall and failed miserably. Ryan O’Halloran

“Range,” by David Epstein (2019) — This is not necessarily a sports book, per se, but there are definitely elements that apply. The book begins by comparing Tiger Woods (a specialist) to Roger Federer (who dabbled in skiing, wrestling, swimming, skateboarding, basketball, ping pong and tennis). Epstein makes the convincing argument that dabblers are often better in the long run, be it athletes, musicians, artists or inventors. A compelling book that will make you reconsider the best way to learn. Michael Singer

from Latest Information https://www.denverpost.com/2020/03/27/best-sports-books-reading-list/

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laurendzim · 4 years

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Reading list: The Denver Post sports department’s favorite sports books to ride out the coronavirus

With everyone sitting around the house these days, and nowhere to go, what better time to get lost in a few books?

Matt Schubert, The Denver Post

Some of The Denver Post sports department’s favorite books.

from News And Updates https://www.denverpost.com/2020/03/27/best-sports-books-reading-list/

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the-last-airbadger · 7 years

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Get To Know Me Questions

Ok so I reblogged this thing a few days ago, and even though nobody asked me questions, I’m still going to answer them, because I really like doing these things and maybe, just maybe, there’s someone out there that’s actually interested in my answers to these questions but was too shy to ask me or didn’t see the post. But now the answers will be in my personal tag forever. Yay ^-^

(please beware this is a very long post these are 125(!) questions! It took me three days to finish!)

I hope you enjoy these questions and my answers to these questions!

1. What is your full name? Skylar Elliott (Dutch last name). (I’m not sure if I wanna post my last name on tumblr…)

2. What is your nickname? I don’t really have a nickname… everyone calls me Sky though, I guess that counts…

3. What is your zodiac sign? Gemini!

4. What is your favorite book series? Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I have never enjoyed reading a book as much as I enjoyed reading these books.

5. Do you believe in aliens or ghosts? I don’t know? I’d like to say I believe in aliens and ghosts but there’s always this voice in the back of my head that tells me that it’s “cool, but they don’t actually excist because it hasn’t been proven”. Although I do believe that aliens must be out there somewhere I mean the universe is so big we cannot be the only life forms. I just think aliens are so much more different than we humans can even imagine.

6. Who is your favorite author? Rick Riordan! Very sassy, author of my favourite book series and cares a lot about representation in books which is very gud.

7. What is your favorite radio station? I mean I don’t really listen to the radio but I kinda like skyradio because it has part of my name in it and I also love npo2 between christmas and new years eve because they play a top2000 of music that you can vote for and it’s really fun. (These are both dutch stations I believe, so if you don’t recognise these stations, that’s why)

8. What is your favorite flavor of anything? Usually strawberry. Strawberry ice cream, strawberry sweets, strawberry sauce, strawberry lemonade, strawberry tea, strawberry smoothies… I love them all.

9. What word would you use often to describe something great or wonderful? “Awesome” or “cool”

10. What is your current favorite song? Heaven - Troye Sivan ft. Betty Who Prove me wrong - Fireflight Escape - Fireflight They share the first place so I listed them all. I literally cannot choose.

Heaven makes me feel much lgbtq+ pride and happiness, as well as sadness and determination to change the world. Plus I can really relate and let my emotions out by listening to this song

Escape is a very good song about overcoming fears and, again, I can really relate to this song. I really like the refrain because when singing it I can really throw my emotions into this and let them out. Again, this song fills me with determination to change the world and the way I handle problems. It makes me feel stronger. And the ending is really reassuring and beautiful.

Prove me wrong, I can also really relate to. It’s about being insecure about yourself but then someone else helps you see that you are actually a really nice person. It reminds me of my friends.

11. What is your favorite word? Ethereal - “Extremely delicate and light in a way that seems not to be of this world”

12. What was the last song you listened to? Heaven - Troye Sivan ft. Betty Who (listening to it right now)

13. What TV show would you recommend for everybody to watch? Brooklyn Nine-Nine because it’s hillarious and very progressive and inclusive and the characters are very lovable.

14. What is your favorite movie to watch when you’re feeling down? Probably just any Harry Potter movie. They never get old.

15. Do you play video games? Sometimes. I’m not that big of a fan of videogames but I like games like life is stranger or all the harry potter games and I sometimes play mario with my brother.

16. What is your biggest fear? I’m afraid of my house setting fire and I’m kinda afraid of all bugs but I think my biggest fear is wasting my life and dying unhappy and unfulfilled.

17. What is your best quality, in your opinion? I’m a very positive person and I have and okay face and I make bad jokes (that I secretly think are hillarious). And I always try to learn and improve myself and become the best person I can be.

18. What is your worst quality, in your opinion? I’m insecure about EVERYTHING and I overthink every move I make in life and that makes me feel like I’m failing everything and everyone especially the people I care about.

19. Do you like cats or dogs better? Cats! I think dogs are very cute but irl I kinda shy away from dogs because I’m still lowkey scared of dogs but cats are so cuddly and cute and I want

20. What is your favorite season? Probably fall. Because of Halloween and the leaves FALLing (get it? Fall, falling. haha) from the trees and the colours and the wind and the whole leadup to christmas. I also like that the temperature isn’t to high or to low. Winter’s too cold and summer’s to hot and spring is okay but not that special.

21. Are you in a relationship? Nope. But right now I’m only interested in friendships anyway so I don’t mind. (also being both ace and trans I kinda feel like it’s impossible to find anyone who’d actually want to date me so I kinda just… don’t bother. Transition first, relationships later)

22. What is something you miss from your childhood? I miss that I was so social and talked to everyone without restraint or fear. And I miss having the time to read.

23. Who is your best friend? @asiandutchgirl @the-official-pentacorn They’re both two of the most wonderfull people I’ve ever met don’t you dare make me choose

24. What is your eye color? Brown. There’s some green in them somewhere too if you look really closely but it’s mostly brown.

25. What is your hair color? Also brown but I’ve been thinking about dyeing it for a long time… but usually I can’t because my acting class won’t allow it.

26. Who is someone you love? My siblings, my parents, my best friends, my grandparents, my household, my pets (although pets aren’t really people but I LOVE THEM OKAY)

27. Who is someone you trust? My siblings and my best friends. I could tell them anything.

28. Who is someone you think about often? I hope this doesn’t sound weird but My best friends. They make me happy and they’re a big part of my life even though I don’t see them nearly as often as I should. And I guess, because of that, I just miss them often.

29. Are you currently excited about/for something? I’m in the middle of the process of legally changing my name and gendermarker! I cannot wait to see them on my new ID!!

30. What is your biggest obsession? At the moment definately VOLTRON (season 2 was so guddd)

31. What was your favorite TV show as a child? I used to loooooove Zack and Cody. And after that I started to enjoy ICarly and Victorious a lot. I used to spend whole weekends watching these shows.

32. Who of the opposite gender can you tell anything to, if anyone? My best friends and my sister.

33. Are you superstitious? A little bit. I mean I know it’s bullshit but somewhere, in the back of my mind, I still believe bringing “lucky items” to stressfull situations will help me somehow.

34. Do you have any unusual phobias? Uhh… not really? I mean the only thing I can think of is that I cannot sleep in a room with, for example, my mom, because I know she snores and then I am so afraid that it’ll keep me awake that I cannot sleep… -_-

35. Do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it? I prefer to be in front of the camera because being behind the camera makes me responsible for the final product while being in front of the camera comes pretty natural to me. My granddad always films every important family event and I grew up with a love for acting and being on stage so… I like that.

36. What is your favorite hobby? Watching a show that is soooo goood you just have to binge it and being on the edge of your seat the whole time and just getting lost in it basically.

37. What was the last book you read? A book for school. “Two women” by Harry Mulish. I didn’t really like it. *spoilers* a lesbian main character was killed in the last two pages just as I thought she’d live happily ever after -_-

38. What was the last movie you watched? Iron man… I think… yeah I watched that the day before my brothers birthday when his friend stayed over.

39. What musical instruments do you play, if any? I play the piano! I’m not that good at it but hey, I enjoy it.

40. What is your favorite animal? I really like Lions. They’re like big cats and also super majestic.

41. What are your top 5 favorite Tumblr blogs that you follow? the-official-pentacorn, asiandutchgirl, hagraeven-side-blog, slytherin-bookworm-guy, relatable-pictures-of-pidge… I think…. there are much more, I’m sure, but these are the first ones I came up with and they all have a special place in my heart.

42. What superpower do you wish you had? I’d love to be able to fly, but, as a trans guy, I think shapeshifting would probably make me the happiest.

43. When and where do you feel most at peace? In the cinema. Just comfortably sitting in a chair with food. My only responsibilities being watching a movie, keeping my mouth shut and eating. Perfect.

44. What makes you smile? Music, My friends, A happy scene in a tv-show or book, a very bad joke, realising how much I love the people that matter to me, having an actual nice social interaction that wasn’t in any way awkward, gender euforia, doing something I love.

45. What sports do you play, if any? …Have you ever seen me trying to exercise?

46. What is your favorite drink? Fresh Lemonade. I had some in Greece and it was literally the best thing I’ve ever tasted… Why don’t we have that in the Netherlands :’(

47. When was the last time you wrote a hand-written letter or note to somebody? Probably sometime when I left the house to get some groceries and didn’t know when my dad would be home so I left him a note on the table

48. Are you afraid of heights? It depends. If I’m walking next to a very deep drop I’m terrified I’ll fall, but in a rollercoaster, on a plane, or even a on bus that’s driving on narrow roads next to a massive ravine, I have no problem with heights. I guess I just don’t trust myself at great heights because of my clumsiness.

49. What is your biggest pet peeve? Whenever I’m trying to concentrate on something I cannot handle it when people ! start ! to ! eat ! crisps ! or ! nuts ! or ! something ! VERY ! LOUDLY !!!! Somehow this mainly happens around my mom and sister and not really anyone else but sometimes it gets so bad I literally have to leave the room. Also snoring… because if someone starts to snore I will not be able to sleep for hours unless I have my phone and some earbuds nearby.

50. Have you ever been to a concert? Yes! I’ve seen Al di Meola (when I was six, with my dad), Lissie, Maria Mena, Delain, Within Temptation (twice), Vanessa Carlton and K3 and I’m gonna see Lindsey Stirling in March!

51. Are you vegan/vegetarian? Nope! But my dad is vegan so half of the time the only meat I eat is the sausage on my sandwiches.

52. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? Cassier, Artist, Inventor, Archaologist, Game-Designer, Actor, Writer, Idfk. All in this order.

53. What fictional world would you like to live in? I’d love to live in the world from Avatar: The Last Airbender because it’s basically the same as ours only with DRAGONS and BENDING and all other kinds of cool animals and cool stuff.

54. What is something you worry about? In a week and a half I have test-week and then in a little more than a month I have another test week and then in May I have my final exams and I have SO MUCH LEFT to study and SO MANY PROJECTS left to do and SO MANY BOOKS left to read and I worry I will never pass and die in the process and start hating my life. (which I already kind of do because of school, but hey, only four months left… only four months left…)

55. Are you scared of the dark? Depends. Around 8pm I have no problem with the dark but around 11pm/12pm/1am I am not a fan of walking down two sets of stairs to go to the toilet.

56. Do you like to sing? YES. Omg I absolutely love singing!! I sing everyday and I’m also in a choir (that has been founded for trans people specifically so I don’t have to worry about my high voice) which is super awesome and I love it.

57. Have you ever skipped school? Nope. At least not without my parent’s permission.

58. What is your favorite place on the planet? Probably just any cinema or my home. They’re both places I can just feel at ease and eat.

59. Where would you like to live? Tbh I am perfectly happy in the places I live right now and I don’t think I’ll ever move far away from here, but it would be supercool to live in London!

60. Do you have any pets? Yes! I have two guinea pigs (who are both supercute and cuddly) and a cat (who is supercute, but anything but cuddly)!

61. Are you more of an early bird or a night owl? Night owl. Mornings are for sleep

62. Do you like sunrises or sunsets better? Sunsets because sunsets happen around my favourite time of the day, and I only see sunrises if I have to wake up very early or if I’ve pulled an all-nighter and I hate both of these things. Like I said, mornings are for sleep.

63. Do you know how to drive? No, I don’t. I will probably start lessons next year though!

64. Do you prefer earbuds or headphones? I prefer headphones because of the sound quality, but after I’ve worn my headphones for an entire day they always start to hurt because they press my glasses against my head and when I’m going outside earbuds are a lot easier to take with me. Same when I’m trying to listen something calming to fall asleep, earbuds are easier.

65. Have you ever had braces? Yes, I’ve worn braces for about nine months when I was thirteen

66. What is your favorite genre of music? I don’t really have a favourite genre, but I really enjoy soundtracks, rock, some pop and some dubstep songs.

67. Who is your hero? I don’t really have a hero. There are a lot of people I look up to but I think that if I’d have to choose someone right now I’d choose Thomas Sanders because he’s just the nicest human on the planet and I aspire to make people laugh and smile like he does.

68. Do you read comic books? No, not really. They don’t really grab my attention the way books or tv-shows do and I always end up skimming the pages and spoiling myself.

69. What makes you the most angry? Ignorance. Whenever someone refuses to be open minded. Whenever someone claims to know something better than I do and refuses to listen to me. Whenever someone tells me how I should be feeling when they don’t even try to understand what I’m feeling. Whenever someone even tries to shit on my community, friends and interests.

70. Do you prefer to read on an electronic device or with a real book? I prefer reading a real book because books never run out of power, smell good, and just give me that nice reading vibe. And because my e-reader is slow as heck and I have to wait ages for the pages to turn.

71. What is your favorite subject in school? My favourite subject is probably Ancient Greek. I really like learning the ancient greek language and culture and I’m also pretty good at it. Plus my ancient greek class is a very nice group of people and we have an awesome teacher.

72. Do you have any siblings? Yes! I have a sister who’s eightteen and a brother who’s fourteen and I love them very much.

73. What was the last thing you bought? Last monday I bought myself crisps, cola and some liquorice candy because I had a sore throat. (edit: and today I bought some more crisps, some more cola, and candy’s agains coughing… they didn’t help)

74. How tall are you? Last time I checked (about nine months ago at the hospital) I was about 165 cm tall which is about 5’5″

75. Can you cook? … I can make eggs… and pancakes… and really easy pieces of meat that you basically only have to heat up in a pan…. And I can warm up soup from a can… and that’s about it I guess lol

76. What are three things that you love? Time for myself, watching tv-shows, rain.

77. What are three things that you hate? playing sports, homework, stress.

78. Do you have more female friends or more male friends? Definately more female friends. I can’t relate as much with cis men and I don’t have that many trans people that are actively involved in my day to day life. Plus girls are amazing.

79. What is your sexual orientation? I identify as asexual. I don’t really understand what sexual attraction is exactly… and like… I do not understand how you can associate people you actually know in your life with sex without being creeped out? And the idea that people that are in a relationship are having sex with eachother just… really boggles my mind. Especially because to everyone it seems so normal? and then I’m just like “why would you do that…”

80. Where do you currently live? I have two houses (divorced parents) and I live in both a small city and a big village. They’re both about half an hour away from Rotterdam in the Netherlands but I’m not sure if I wanna post the exact places I live on tumblr…

81. Who was the last person you texted? My brother. He asked me which one of us would buy banana’s and chocolate. I said he should because I was still at school.

82. When was the last time you cried? Last sunday. I was super stressed out because of school. I had to finish a project and I had two hours left but my brain was dead so I kinda crashed.

83. Who is your favorite YouTuber? Phil Lester (AmazingPhil), Dan Howell (danisnotonfire), Sean McLaughlin (Jacksepticeye) and Chase Ross (uppercasechase1). Dan and Phil always make me laugh and make me feel appreciated and I love them and their video’s and their dynamic a lot, Jack feels like one of my closest friends and he’s such a nice and funny guy, and Chase has helped me so much with transition-related problems. They’re all amazing and I cannot imagine my life without them.

84. Do you like to take selfies? Yes, I do! A lot! Whenever I’m on a trip or I look good or I just feel like trying on some new clothes and stuff, I always make selfies.

85. What is your favorite app? Probably the tumblr app. I spend half my life on there. Nothing is better than using my tumblr app to avoid social contact.

86. What is your relationship with your parent(s) like? Really good. My mom is a very warm person that I can tell almost anything to. She’s very understanding and her hugs are very soft. She values my opinions a lot and is always there to listen to what I say. With my dad I find it harder to tell him everything but that’s probably because I get the feeling that he expects a bit more from me? Idk if that’s true though, might just be my imagination. But he’s a very chill and self-assured person and I like that it’s always so calm at his house, whereas at my moms house things can be very chaotic and sometimes stressfull. My dad is very open and very accepting and he keeps surprizing me with how much he’s okay with. Overall my parents are really really nice. They support my transition and my life choices and they just want me to be happy. I couldn’t have wished for better parents.

87. What is your favorite foreign accent? I really love scottish it’s amazing. A gift to humanity.

88. What is a place that you’ve never been to, but you want to visit? Japan!! I really wanna go there it seems so awesome!!

89. What is your favorite number? 13

90. Can you juggle? I can’t even aim, throw or catch a ball of course I can’t juggle

91. Are you religious? Nope

92. Do you find outer space of the deep ocean to be more interesting? Outer space. There are so many things left to discover and it’s so big!! It feels like everything is possible in space. Also it’s very pretty.

93. Do you consider yourself to be a daredevil? Not really. Whenever something scary happens, I’m out. I’ll run away as fast as I can. I do really like rollercoaster and stuff though and I’d love to try and sky-dive or bungee-jump… but I guess that’s because I’m not the one who’s in control in these situations.

94. Are you allergic to anything? Not that I know…

95. Can you curl your tongue? Yup.

96. Can you wiggle your ears? A little bit

97. How often do you admit that you were wrong about something? I try to always admit it when I’m wrong about something. It’s a very decent thing to do and it prevents conflicts from happening or escalating. Plus you won’t really gain anything by refusing to admit you’re wrong about something.

98. Do you prefer the forest or the beach? The forest. I hate the beach. It’s either way too hot or way too cold and there’s sand everywhere I hate it.

99. What is your favorite piece of advice that anyone has ever given you? I don’t know. I can’t really remember all the advices I’ve ever been given, and I don't think that one piece of advice alone can have that much impact. It’s the combinations of all the advice you’ve ever had that really makes a difference. If you can combine different people’s experiences and advices you’ll figure out what to do by yourself. But I guess if I had to choose one piece of advise that I value, I’d say: “It’s good to think about others and help other people, as long as it isn’t at the expense of yourself. In the end, you are the most important to yourself. You are the one that has to live with yourself for the rest of your life. You shouldn’t always put others before yourself because you are important too and you deserve love and kindness and happiness too. You deserve to be happy” (I think most of this advice I actually got from markiplier, from his most recent believe in yourself video. It’s a very motivational video, go and watch it!)

100. Are you a good liar? Yes I am. I used to lie about everything to fit in with the cool kids and keep them as my friends. It was like second nature to me. I guess I did learn something from acting class… I still lie a lot to my acting friends by the way, just because they party every week and I hate parties but if I tell the truth they think I don’t like them, which isn’t true at all. I like them! But I really hate parties… and they can be a bit draining to be around.

101. What is your Hogwarts House? You might belong in Hufflepuff, Where they are just and loyal, Those patient Hufflepuffs are true And unafraid of toil

102. Do you talk to yourself? Yep. Pretty often. Whenever I’m home alone I just sorta narrate my life. Sometimes I make it a musical!

103. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Introvert. Interacting with people is fun but after a while I really need time alone, it really drains my energy, especially when I am not feeling well anyway. The only interactions with people that actually give me energy are interactions with my closest friends and family.

104. Do you keep a journal/diary? I keep a transition-diary to write down the important moments related to transition, so I can read it back when I’m older and I won’t forget anything.

105. Do you believe in second chances? Yes. If someone is really willing to better themselves and are working hard to improve I think they deserve a second chance to give them the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.

106. If you found a wallet full of money on the ground, what would you do? Probably leave it. I woudn’t want to go through either the trouble of handing it in or the guilt of not doing that, so I’d probably place it somewhere more noticable and let someone else decide what happens with it.

107. Do you believe that people are capable of change? Yes. People go through all kinds of things in live and they keep learning and bettering themselves. If a person really wants to change then I believe they can, no matter how long it takes. They’ll get there.

108. Are you ticklish? Yes. Very. If you tickle me I start screaming and kicking and I sometimes fall on the floor. It’s my weakness…

109. Have you ever been on a plane? Eight times. To Rome and back, to portugal and back, twice to greece and back.

110. Do you have any piercings? Do earrings count? Because I wear earrings sometimes.

111. What fictional character do you wish was real? Aang. I feel like we would be pretty good friends and our world really needs the avatar tbh.

112. Do you have any tattoos? Nope. But I do want one. I just cannot decide what I would want on my body forever… probably either something avatar related (like the air-nation logo or something, because that’s really cool) or something transition-related because it’s such an important part of my life and it’s something about me that will never change.

113. What is the best decision that you’ve made in your life so far? Coming out and contacting the hospital to start my medical transition. Because without that, where would I be? I’d be the unhappiest little shit ever.

114. Do you believe in karma? Nope

115. Do you wear glasses or contacts? I’ve worn glasses ever since I was eight years old. I will never wear contacts. ever. They freak me out! Why would you put something in your eye.

116. Do you want children? I don’t know. I always wanted kids, but ever since I found out I was trans and realised that I couldn’t have them naturally, I’m not sure anymore, because I don’t know if I want to adopt. I think it’s really gonna depend on if I have a partner or not and what the possibilities are… we’ll see. Babies are very cute though… and I think I’d love being a dad, even though I’m very afraid of becoming a terrible father. If I have kids I want them to be happy and decent humans. My sister will definately have kids though because she really really wants kids so I’ll definately be an uncle and maybe that’ll be enough for me. Who knows? And mayble I’ll get a partner with young kids and help them raise their kids… I think I’d prefer helping someone raising kids and giving the kids good life advice and do fun things together without being the one who has the most responsibilities.

117. Who is the smartest person you know? My sister has a friend who scored really well in school (an average score of around 90% I believe), who now studies both medical science and classics, plays the piano flawlessly, and is also a very nice person. She also won a price in an ancient greek competition, she was the best of the country!!

118. What is your most embarrassing memory? I was ten years old and I had a friend who was a pretty big bully and I really wanted to stay her friend so I kinda just went along with it. One day I thought I was being cool and asked said friend to place a folded airplane on the bullied guy’s table that said something like “idiot” on it. The guy then proceded to tell the teacher who told the entire class and demanded to know who had done it. I was terrified! Then my supposed friend ratted me out. I wanted to dissappear!! My teacher at the time was kind of my hero and I did not want to dissappoint her at all. I then proceded to lie that I just wanted to give the guy a folded airplane because I knew he liked them and didn’t know that it had the word “idiot” on it. I said that the word idiot wasn’t directed toward the guy and that I didn’t turn myself in because I was to scared the teacher would be angry at me. She believed me and everything went well but damn. This is the memory that still haunts me at 3am when I’m trying to sleep.

119. Have you ever pulled an all-nighter? Yes. A lot. Always at sleep-over parties. I used to really love pulling an all-nighter but now… not so much. When it’s 4am, I just want to sleeepppp.

120. What color are most of you clothes? Most of my clothes are blue! I have a lot of dark blue sweaters and hoodies.

121. Do you like adventures? Meh. I used to, but now I just want to go home and watch a movie.

122. Have you ever been on TV? Nope, but I’m probably gonna be! Right now there is a documentary in the making about my choir, which will be on TV and I’ll be in it!

123. How old are you? I’m 17 years old and I’ll turn 18 on June 4th 2017.

124. What is your favorite quote? I really like the entire songtext of escape by fireflight, but I can’t really put an entire songtext here, can I? The part of the song I love most are: “You are not hopeless. You are not worthless. You are loved. Don’t give up. This is your time” and “We don’t want to save ourselves” But if I had to pick an all-time favourite quote I’d probably pick the following quote from Dan Howell: “And at the end of the day, if something makes you and other people happy, that’s what’s important”

125. Do you prefer sweet or savory foods? Savory. I really like sweet foods from time to time but I am always craving savory foodsss ohm yg od

So there it is, I hope you enjoyed these questions and getting to know me a bit more! I really enjoyed answering these questions and they also kinda helped me study, because I only allowed myself to answer ten questions after finishing a certain amout of homework, so that’s good…

I hope you liked this and have a nice day!

#personal #long post #troye sivan #fireflight #music i like #gemini #hufflepuff #dan howell #phil lester #jacksepticeye #chase ross #thomas sanders #markipleir

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oletacho · 6 years

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Unbroken: Path to Redemption: A Brief History of Louis Zamperini’s Journey

UNBROKEN: Path to Redemption: A Brief History of Louis Zamperini’s Journey

UnbrokenFilm.com Running Time: 98 minutes Rating: PG-13 #UnbrokenFilm

“I’d made it this far and refused to give up because, all my life, I had always finished the race.” —Louie Zamperini

When he passed away on July 2, 2014 at the age of 97, Louie Zamperini was victoriously celebrated as a true American hero. This former Olympian, whose long, incredible and inspiring life has been described as one of the greatest stories of triumph in the 20 th century, lived through and beyond what most could comprehend. His tale of crippling despair trumped by indomitable will and redemption continues to serve as a message of hope for the millions who have been affected and inspired by his journey.

And it all began more than a century ago. As a youth in Torrance, California, the youngest son of Italian immigrants, Louie was an incorrigible delinquent, breaking into homes, stealing from shops and brawling with anyone who dared challenge this untamable boy. As a teenager, with the persistent encouragement of his older brother, Pete, Louie turned his life around by channeling defiant energy into a shocking talent for running. Breaking record after record across the nation, the 19-year-old “Torrance Tornado” qualified for the 1936 Berlin Olympics and surprised everyone whom he encountered—from his famous teammate Jesse Owens to the man who almost veered mankind toward global destruction: Adolf Hitler.

Like most young people of his generation, when World War II broke out, the young student from University of Southern California, who had come within seconds of breaking the four-minute mile, put his dreams on hold and enlisted in the service. His military career would lead him to become an Army Air Corps bombardier, in which 2 nd Lt. Zamperini embarked upon numerous missions across the Pacific—a daunting profession where approximately 50 percent of his fellow airmen wouldn’t make it through the war. In April 1943, Louie’s defective B-24 Liberator, the Green Hornet, on a rescue mission in the South Pacific, suffered engine failure and crashed into the sea, killing eight of the 11 crew members upon impact.

Louie and his Green Hornet’s two fellow survivors—Russell Allen “Phil” Phillips, the craft’s captain, and Sgt. Francis “Mac” McNamara, its tail gunner—drifted in a six-feet-long by two-feet-wide raft in the open Pacific for many weeks. Mac managed to hang on for 33 days—surviving seven rounds of strafing by a Japanese bomber and the omnipresent sharks that circled their vessel—before he tragically succumbed to his hunger, dehydration and exhaustion. Louie and Phil lasted for a total of 47 days, a

record in the annals of history for survivors on a raft, and ultimately drifted 2,000 miles to an atoll in the Marshall Islands, with the remnants of a typhoon carrying them to shore.

Just as they saw land and were beginning to float toward it, they were captured by the Japanese navy and imprisoned in the first of what would be several POW camps. During more than two years of torturous captivity, Louie—alongside his fellow prisoners—was starved, not to mention mentally and physically abused beyond comprehension. Louie was singled out by a prison commander named Mutsuhiro Watanabe, known to the men as “The Bird,” for particularly sadistic acts of mind games and deplorable brutality.

Louie survived these inhumane ordeals across the most severe regions of war-torn Japan before he learned, on August 20, 1945, (two weeks after the 9,000-pound bomb called Little Boy annihilated Hiroshima), that the Allied prisoners were free men and that the war was over. As Laura Hillenbrand writes in the definitive Louie Zamperini biography, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption: “In the midst of running, celebrating men, Louie stood on wavering legs, emaciated, sick and dripping wet. In his tired mind, two words were repeating themselves over and over: ‘I’m free! I’m free! I’m free!’”

The veteran who had survived so much returned home to Southern California, but his life was forever changed. Louie was plagued by nightmares and a crippling mental disorder that would not be classified as such until decades later: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Like the countless heroes who returned from the far reaches of these cruel detention camps, Louie found post-war life a monumental struggle. For four years after his internment, he battled crippling anxiety, alcohol abuse and demons that visited him every time he went to sleep.

Only after Louie and his new bride, Cynthia, heard a young preacher by the name of Reverend Billy Graham speak in September 1949 would he understand his need to be forgiven and to forgive others. Embracing his new-found Christian faith, Louie’s life turned completely around. In subsequent years, Louie devoted himself to spreading a message of faith, fortitude and forgiveness…going so far as to travel back to Japan and offering forgiveness to the prison guards who had starved him and beat him senseless. Only “The Bird” refused to meet with him.

Louie’s story had all the makings of an unforgettable film. In fact, Universal Pictures had long been interested in his life. In 1957, the studio acquired the rights to Louie’s book Devil at My Heels. Back then it was planned as a vehicle for Tony Curtis, but the project was shelved before a script was drafted. In 1998, a CBS Sports documentary on Louie’s life aired on the network and breathed life back into the project. When producer Matthew Baer watched the piece, he was tremendously affected by what he saw, unknowingly embarking upon what would be a 16-year quest to get a film made. He met with Louie and his family, then brought Louie’s story back to Universal Pictures, as the studio remained tied to the rights. The studio was once again interested in bringing this epic saga to the screen. Although several screenplays were commissioned at the time, no director signed on to the project.

In 2002, however, a turn of events changed everything. Louie Zamperini and best-selling author Laura Hillenbrand’s eight-year journey together began just as the author finished Seabiscuit: An American Legend. During her research for her first book, she kept coming across another famous Californian who was discussed as the only one who could give Seabiscuit a run for his money. She thought: “Someday, I’m going to look into this guy.” She wrote Louie a letter, and he wrote back.

The more they communicated, the more Hillenbrand was fascinated by what she learned about the man and asked if she could write her next book about him. Louie agreed, even though he had written his own story years before. His life dedicated to service, he wanted to spread the word of reconciliation as far as he could.

During their collaboration, which ultimately spanned more than 75 phone interviews and exhaustive globe-spanning research supported by approximately 400 endnotes, Hillenbrand and Zamperini agreed not to meet in person until the book was published. The author needed to envision Louie as the young troublemaker whose spirit would transform him into a hero for the ages…and the subject was busy enough with a charitable schedule and speaking engagements that seemed impossible for men half his age.

Published in 2010, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption became a runaway bestseller, spending more than 185 weeks (15 of those in the top position) on The New York Times hardcover bestseller list. Among its many accolades, Unbroken was awarded Best Nonfiction Book of the Year by Time magazine and won the Los Angeles Times Book of the Year Award for Biography.

After years of having Louie’s amazing story turned down by other financiers, Baer, buoyed by the public’s embrace of Hillenbrand’s book, brought Unbroken back to Universal for consideration. The studio acquired the book in December 2010, and its success lifted plans for the project to head toward production. In 2014, UNBROKEN was released, earning $163 million worldwide at the box office.

About This Production Pure Flix, The WTA Group and Universal 1440 Entertainment present a Matt Baer Films production: UNBROKEN: PATH TO REDEMPTION, starring Samuel Hunt and Merritt Patterson. The casting is by Nancy Nayor, CSA, and the music is by Brandon Roberts. UNBROKEN: PATH TO REDEMPTION’s costume designer is Diane Crooke, and the film’s editor is Amy P. McGrath. Its production designer is Mayne Berke, and its director of photography is Zoran Popovic. The drama’s executive producers are Bill Reeves, Erik Weir, Michael Scott, Dave Mechem, Cynthia Garris and Luke Zamperini, and it is produced by Matthew Baer, p.g.a., and Mike Elliott. UNBROKEN: PATH TO REDEMPTION is based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand. The screenplay is by Richard Friedenberg and Ken Hixon. The film is directed by Harold Cronk.

With the success of UNBROKEN, producer Matthew Baer went to Universal 1440 Entertainment, wanting to tell the post-war aftermath of Louis Zamperini’s remarkable life. “Lou’s story is an embarrassment of cinematic riches, from when he was a young boy until he was 97,” says Baer. “We had tried versions of the first screenplay that included his post-war experience, but the difficulty in making a film version, is once Lou is freed from the Japanese prison camp, it wasn’t possible to have a stronger emotional climax than his return to Torrance. We were not able to make a three-hour version of the film and there was no way to have the female lead, Cynthia, come into the film after two hours. My feeling, and hope, was if UNBROKEN was successful, I’d get the chance the tell Lou’s post-war journey in a way that does it justice.”

The WTA Group was involved with the home entertainment release of UNBROKEN and helped lead the creation of a bonus disc that was included alongside the film to tell the “rest of the story” of Zamperini’s life through archive video footage from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Additionally, the company assisted with the development of a special Christian retail edition. That product sold well, confirming that people wanted the rest of the story.

In 2015, The WTA Group executives Bill Reeves and Dave Mechem met with Glenn Ross, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Universal 1440 Entertainment, to encourage the idea of a film that would tell the rest of Hillenbrand’s book.

“We explained that the millions who read Laura Hillenbrand’s bestselling book or saw the first film, UNBROKEN, know and love this next part of Louie’s story,” says Reeves, president of The WTA Group. “For Zamperini fans, UNBROKEN: PATH TO REDEMPTION shares that next chapter of his astonishing life and his inspirational love story.”

Glenn Ross and Universal 1440 Entertainment agreed the story needed to be told, met with Baer, and development on a new screenplay began, along with bringing aboard director Harold Cronk.

“From the overwhelmingly positive and passionate reaction to UNBROKEN, we believed there was an audience out there eager to see Louie and Cynthia fight and overcome an entirely different set of challenging circumstances,” says Ross.

“The hunger for quality films that contain faith has been proven time and again in the past few years,” says Executive Producer Michael Scott, CEO and co-founder Pure Flix. “That audience very much wants to see the redemption story in Louie’s life on screen.”

“The first film was about Lou’s struggle to survive. This chapter is about the battle for his soul and the incredibly powerful message of forgiveness. Once we can accept that we are broken and allow ourselves to receive grace, we are finally free to offer it to others,” says Cronk.

Screenwriter Richard Friedenberg says, “The heroism of Louie Zamperini, his adventure from the downing of his bomber to his rescue from a Japanese P.O.W. camp, is the stuff of a legend. But what comes after, the story of his return, his heartbreaking struggle, his recovery and ultimate redemption is what attracted me to Laura Hillenbrand’s book. We see in Louie’s conflict so many parallels to the soldiers who continue to return from our present wars, and through his pain and strength we understand the sacrifice every one of them has made.”

Screenwriter Ken Hixon shares, “I was attracted to Lou’s story: the power of second chances and the courage it takes to overcome often insurmountable odds. I also wanted to depict how love at first sight can evolve into a durable, long-lived relationship.”

For Will Graham, the grandson of Billy Graham, the film shines a deserved light on the now- famous 1949 Los Angeles Crusade. Will Graham is an evangelist with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and plays his grandfather in UNBROKEN: PATH TO REDEMPTION.

“It’s hard to overstate how important the 1949 Crusade was to my grandaddy,” Will Graham says. “Of course, it was of eternal significance to Louie and Cynthia Zamperini and thousands more like them who accepted Christ as a result of granddaddy’s preaching. But Billy Graham was an unknown, a nobody before that Crusade. It was the publisher William Randolph Hearst, who, after three weeks of the Crusade generating no interest, told his editors to ‘puff Graham.’ They put him on the front page and the rest of the media followed.”

Design, Locations and Shooting

“Never give up, no matter what. Even if you get to last place, finish.” —Louie Zamperini

Production began on UNBROKEN: PATH TO REDEMPTION on September 5, 2017, at Universal Studios and wrapped on September 29, 2017, after 20 days of filming. Locations included Oxnard Beach, Verdugo High School and Cal Poly Pomona campus, where buildings resembling California in the 1940s were utilized.

“UNBROKEN captured the hearts of moviegoers worldwide and garnered several Oscar® nominations,” Producer Mike Elliott says. “The bar was set high for UNBROKEN: PATH TO REDEMPTION.”

Director Harold Cronk says, “We were able to assemble a team of supremely talented crew members who were committed to telling Louie’s story the right way. Developing and executing a plan to visually communicate Louie’s internal struggles required a tremendous amount of work with the writers. Then came the equally difficult task of finding the actor who was up to the challenge of bringing Louie’s story to life in a way that honored his remarkable journey. Samuel Hunt’s immersive and inspired portrayal of Louie Zamperini does just that.”

Director of Photography Zoran Popovic says, “The biggest challenge of making a period film are the angles on the exterior locations. We had to be very careful where to point the camera. Lots of shots were composed having the CGI enhancement in mind. We added old LA in the background and made Oxnard look like Miami Beach, Florida.”

Costume Designer Diane Crooke adds, “We used actual period costumes of course, so the majority are over 70 years old. Having such affection and respect for the period, special handling and care was required to uphold the integrity of the wardrobe.”

About the Cast “The world, we’d discovered, doesn’t love you like your family loves you.” —Louie Zamperini

Director Cronk and producers Baer, Elliott and Universal 1440 Entertainment were keenly aware of how important the casting choice would be to deliver on Louis and Cynthia’s powerful story for the finished film. Elliott remarks, “Casting was a challenge from the start. We had an entirely new movie but didn’t know how we would replace the original UNBROKEN cast. Would the audience reject new fresh faces? We think we succeeded thanks to an exhaustive nationwide search, and a lot of hard work by our team at Nancy Nayor Casting. We sincerely believe the new cast members are going to steal some hearts.”

Samuel Hunt as Louis Zamperini Samuel Hunt can be seen now as Craig Gurwitch, the former Army Ranger and computer specialist nicknamed ‘Mouse’ on NBC’s Chicago P.D. in addition to several cross-over episodes of Chicago Fire as the same character. Prior to landing his role in the hit Dick Wolf franchise, Samuel was in a number of independent features, appeared regularly on Days of Our Lives, and made waves on the FOX hit series Empire. To know Samuel is to know his impressive rock climbing skills, his solid theater experience and his serious passion as an outdoorsman.

Merritt Patterson as Cynthia Zamperini Merritt Patterson starred as Ophelia Pryce in the first season of E!’s hit series The Royals and as Olivia Matheson in ABC Family’s Ravenswood. She has guest-starred in episodes of numerous series, including Sony/Crackle’s Art of More; the CW’s Life Unexpected and Supernatural; and ABC Family’s Kyle XY, among others. Merritt’s numerous made-for-television credits include Hallmark’s A Christmas Cottage and A Winter Prince; The Pregnancy Project; Radio Rebel; and Iron Golem. She appeared on the big screen in Fox’s PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF and in the independent features WOLVES, PRIMARY, RUFUS and THE HOLE.

Vanessa Bell Calloway as Lila Cleveland native Vanessa Bell Calloway is an actress and director, known for COMING TO AMERICA, DAYLIGHT and CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, among many other film roles. TV credits include recurring roles in Shameless and Hawthorne. An eight-time NAACP Image Award nominee, she and her husband, Dr. Anthony Calloway, have two children.

Will Graham as Billy Graham Vice President and Associate Evangelist, BGEA William Franklin Graham IV (Will) is the third generation of Grahams to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ under the banner of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Will is the grandson of Billy Graham and the oldest son of Franklin Graham. Participating in crusade-style events—called Celebrations—since 2006, he has held evangelistic outreaches on six continents around the world. Will also serves as Vice President of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and as Executive Director of the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in Asheville, N.C. In November, Will’s first book—a devotional titled Redeemed: Devotions for a Longing Soul—will be published by Thomas Nelson, featuring stories centered on the life-changing power of a relationship with God. A graduate of Liberty University and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Will and his wife, Kendra, have two daughters and a son.

Bobby Campo as Pete Zamperini Just 15 months after his mother suggested acting lessons, Bobby Campo had moved to Los Angeles and landed the first in a variety of television credits including a recurring role on Freeform’s hit series Greek; Law & Order: SVU; and CSI: Miami. Bobby was then cast as the lead in New Line Cinema’s THE FINAL DESTINATION, the fourth installment of the studio’s most successful horror franchise. Bobby began working steadily in independent film and earning series regular roles on Syfy’s Being Human and MTV’s Scream, and acclaimed guest star and recurring roles including ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and FX’s Justified.

Andrew Caldwell as Harry Read Andrew Caldwell is known for the fan-favorite recurring role of Harley Johns in Season 3 of The CW’s iZombie. Other television credits include Netflix’s American Vandal, YouTube Red’s Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on TV, TNT’s The Librarians , How I Met Your Mother, Hannah Montana and a voice roll on Disney XD’s hit animated series Randy Cunningham: 9 th Grade Ninja. Feature film credits include TRANSFORMERS, TENACIOUS D IN THE PICK OF DESTINY, ALL ABOUT STEVE and MY BEST FRIEND’S GIRL.

Gary Cole as Dr. Bailey Veteran of stage and screen, Gary Cole received an Emmy nomination for HBO’s Veep. He recently appeared in BLOCKERS, the PBS mini-series Mercy Street and Small Crimes opposite Nikolaj Coster- Waldau. Gary is best known for roles in classic cult comedies such as OFFICE SPACE, TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY and DODGEBALL: A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY. As an

ensemble member of the famed Steppenwolf Theater Company, Gary’s theater credits include August: Osage County; Speed the Plow; American Buffalo; and Balm in Gilead. Additional film credits include: THE GIFT, A SIMPLE PLAN and Clint Eastwood’s IN THE LINE OF FIRE. Television credits include: American Gothic, The West Wing, Arrested Development, Desperate Housewives, Chuck, The Good Wife, The Good Guys, Suits and Hart of Dixie.

David Sakurai as The Bird Born in Copenhagen, David Sakurai moved to Japan at age 18 where he received theatrical training and honed his skills in Tokyo’s indie film scene. Returning to Denmark in 2008, David earned a variety of drama, comedy and action roles including the lead in the post-apocalyptic action drama EASTERN ARMY (2010), which earned him a Best Actor Award at the Danish Movie Battle Festival. Known for IN ORDER OF DISAPPEARANCE, LIZA, THE FOX-FAIRY and ECHOES OF A RONIN, David’s recent work includes Lilyhammer, Luke Cage and HOUSEWIFE.

Bob Gunton as Major Zeigler Acclaimed films in Bob Gunton’s distinguished career include Oliver Stone’s JFK and BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, GLORY, BROKEN ARROW, Ben Affleck’s ARGO and as the Warden in Frank Darabont’s THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. Just a sampling of Bob’s other film credits includes PATCH ADAMS, DOLORES CLAIBORNE, THE PERFECT STORM and LINCOLN LAWYER. On Broadway, Bob received Tony ® and Drama Desk ® Award nominations for his performance in the title role of the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and earned a Tony nomination and won a Drama Desk Award for his performance as President Juan Peron in Evita. Among his myriad TV credits, he had a regular role on the hit series 24 and played Franklin D. Roosevelt in the miniseries World War II: Behind Closed Doors. A Vietnam veteran, Bob was awarded a Bronze Star for Valor.

Vincenzo Amato as Anthony Zamperini Vincenzo Amato is an actor and iron sculptor born in Sicily, Italy, and fluent in five languages. Film credits include Angelina Jolie’s UNBROKEN, WAR STORY with Ben Kingsley and Catherine Keener, Jeremy Leven’s GIRL ON A BICYCLE, DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS, Miramax’s PINOCCHIO, and the award-winning LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL. In 2007, he was nominated for the prestigious David di Donatello Award ® for Best Actor in the Miramax film GOLDEN DOOR opposite Charlotte Gainsbourg. Television credits include Madam Secretary, The Blacklist, Elementary, Boardwalk Empire, The Good Wife, Damages, Gossip Girl and Pan Am.

About the Filmmakers

“I think the hardest thing in life is to forgive. Hate is self-destructive. If you hate someone, you’re not hurting the person you hate, you’re hurting yourself. True forgiveness is complete and total.” —Louie Zamperini

Harold Cronk Director Harold Cronk has directed numerous films including GOD’S NOT DEAD, which earned over $62 million at the box office and won the GMA Dove ® Awards for Inspirational Film of the Year. He’s the founding partner in 10 West Studios and EMC Productions. Cronk won the Best Director Award at the Beverly Hills International Film Festival in 2006 for his film WAR PRAYER. He wrote and directed the films JERUSALEM COUNTDOWN and MICKEY MATSON AND THE COPPERHEAD CONSPIRACY. He also has extensive theatrical film credits in art direction and set design.

Richard Friedenberg Writer Richard Friedenberg is best known for writing the film A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT, which starred Brad Pitt and was directed by Robert Redford, who was nominated for an Academy Award ® . He also wrote the screenplay for the Hallmark Hall of Fame television film Promise (1986), starring James Garner and James Woods, for which he won an Emmy Award ® . Furthermore, he wrote the screenplay for DYING YOUNG starring Julia Roberts and wrote and directed THE EDUCATION OF LITTLE TREE.

Ken Hixon Writer Ken Hixon is best known for writing the film INVENTING THE ABBOTTS, which starred Jennifer Connelly, Liv Tyler and Joaquin Phoenix. Hixon’s other films include WELCOME TO THE RILEYS, CITY BY THE SEA, INCIDENT AT DECEPTION RIDGE, MORGAN STEWART’S COMING HOME and GRANDVIEW, U.S.A. Two of his television films, Secret Sins of the Father and Caught in the Act, were nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award by the Mystery Writers of America.

Laura Hillenbrand Author Laura Hillenbrand is the author of the No. 1 New York Times best-sellers Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption and Seabiscuit: An American Legend. The latter was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, won the Book Sense Book of the Year Award for adult nonfiction and the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award, landed on more than 15 best-of-the-year lists and inspired the film Seabiscuit, which was nominated for seven Academy Awards ® , including Best Picture.

An essay Hillenbrand wrote for The New Yorker, A Sudden Illness, won a 2004 National Magazine Award. Her work has also appeared in such publications as The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times. Hillenbrand and actor Gary Sinise co-founded Operation International Children, through which American troops provided school supplies and other essential items to children in war-stricken countries.

Matthew Baer Producer Matthew Baer is the producer of UNBROKEN, based on Laura Hillenbrand’s bestselling book, for Universal Pictures. Angelina Jolie directed from a screenplay by Joel and Ethan Coen, William Nicholson and Richard LaGravenese. UNBROKEN earned $163 million worldwide. Baer also produced the character thriller MAGGIE; the indie film, THE BACHELORS, starring J.K. Simmons and Julie Delpy; CITY BY THE SEA with Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand and James Franco; VIEW FROM THE TOP with Gwyneth Paltrow and Mike Myers; JACK FROST with Michael Keaton; and THE REPLACEMENT KILLERS. He is also a producer on the 2018 Tony ® winning revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel.

Mike Elliott Producer Producer Mike Elliott began his career with legendary indie producer Roger Corman, where he eventually became head of motion pictures. Elliott left Corman in 1994 and has since produced more than 100 films and television shows, including several that have appeared in major festivals, such as Sundance, Telluride, New York and Toronto.

Luke Zamperini Executive Producer Luke Zamperini is the only son of Louis and Cynthia Zamperini. As a child, Luke accompanied his father on Victory Boys Camp retreats, giving him the knowledge and wisdom to keep Victory Boys Camp true to its original mission. Luke continues to make himself available for public speaking events where he tells his father’s story and shares his unique perspective on what made Louis the man he was.

Cynthia Zamperini Garris Executive Producer Cynthia Zamperini Garris is the daughter of Louis and Cynthia Zamperini. Cynthia Garris was born in Hollywood. She is an actress, known for CRITTERS 2 (1988), SLEEPWALKERS (1992) and PSYCHO IV: THE BEGINNING (1990). She has been married to Mick Garris since 1982.

Bill Reeves Executive Producer Founder of The WTA Group, Bill Reeves has extensive experience in the Christian product industry in retail roles, and then with Word Entertainment/Warner in distribution, supporting artists such as Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith. At Big Idea Productions, Bill led Christian retail product licensing and distribution for the successful VeggieTales brand, including its theatrical release JONAH: A VEGGIETALES MOVIE. At Thomas Nelson Publishers/HarperCollins he served as executive producer of several childrens video properties, including Max Lucado; Hermie & Friends. As Vice President of marketing for Propeller Consulting, Bill participated in the marketing launches of leading faith-based films such as FIREPROOF, COURAGEOUS and SOUL SURFER and led consumer products campaigns for the Kendrick Brothers; films, including the New York Times No. 1 bestselling book The Love Dare and many other charting books. In 2009, Bill launched The WTA Group, which has led marketing campaigns for such films as 90 MINUTES IN HEAVEN, THE ULTIMATE LIFE and GOD’S NOT DEAD. The agency also steered the release of films such as HEAVEN IS FOR REAL, WAR ROOM and I CAN ONLY IMAGINE.

Michael Scott Executive Producer Michael Scott, CEO and co-founder of faith-film giant Pure Flix, has produced more than 25 films and hundreds of television commercials. Among his many films are the breakout hit GOD’S NOT DEAD, the No. 1 faith film of 2014, earning more than $62 million at the box office; GOD’S NOT DEAD 2; and DO YOU BELIEVE? Michael produced the long-running hit TV series Travel the Road, a groundbreaking Christian reality series following the lives of missionaries Timothy Scott and William Decker, as they journey to the ends of the earth. Now airing on TBN, Daystar, INSP, Netflix and many more, Travel the Road has gained a worldwide audience.

Dave Mechem Executive Producer Dave Mechem has more than 25 years of experience in home entertainment sales and retail marketing and has held key positions with Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Turner Broadcasting and Ingram Entertainment. He has worked with key accounts across all channels from mass, club, grocery, e- commerce, rental, distribution and Christian retail. Dave led the home entertainment sales and promotion of AFFIRM Films titles into the general and Christian retail markets and guided the release plans for TO SAVE A LIFE, SOUL SURFER, COURAGEOUS, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL and MOMS’ NIGHT OUT among others. Since joining The WTA Group, Dave has consulted on more than 20 home entertainment releases including GOD’S NOT DEAD, DO YOU BELIEVE?, UNBROKEN and WOODLAWN.

Zoran Popovic Director Of Photography Native of Serbia, Zoran Popovic graduated from the American Film Institute. He has been the director of photography on numerous music videos, commercials and feature films, including WAR INC, a political satire, starring John Cusack and Ben Kingsley; and SIN, starring Gary Oldman, Ving Rhames and Brian Cox. In 2012 Zoran received an Emmy ® for his work on Moments in Time. His recent work includes STANDOFF, starring Thomas Jane and Laurence Fishburne; SUPERCON, starring John Malkovich; UNCHAINED also starring Malkovich, Adrien Brody and Antonio Banderas and directed by Paul Solet; and BREAKTHROUGH, for Fox 2000 to be released in 2019. Mayne Berke

Production Designer Mayne Berke’s credits as a production designer include: S.W.A.T., directed by Clark Johnson, starring Colin Farrell and Samuel L. Jackson; THE PRINCESS DIARIES, directed by Garry Marshall, starring Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway; ROCK STAR directed by Stephen Herek, starring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston; 15 MINUTES, directed by John Herzfeld and starring Robert De Niro and Edward Burns; JACK FROST, directed by Troy Miller, starring Michael Keaton; and ROMY AND MICHELLE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION, directed by David Mirkin, starring Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino. He also designed the acclaimed HBO original film Don King: Only in America, and the Clio Award-winning Levi’s Elevator Fantasy commercial, Directed by Michael Bay.

Diane Crooke Costume Designer Diane Crooke is a costume designer with extensive experience designing and supervising for film, television, print and web. Crooke’s interest in fashion developed around the age of 10 when her mother and grandmother taught her to sew. Crooke’s career took off when she got the job as costume supervisor for the for the first three seasons of the hit NBC series Friends. After that, she supervised multiple projects including six seasons of Crossing Jordan. As a designer Crooke spent five seasons designing for NBC’s popular dramatic TV Show Parenthood, before designing Scream for MTV. Recently Crooke worked on the Mow Treehouse for Blumhouse directed by James Roday. Crooke has jumped into the feature world, designing CHIPS and ALL STAR WEEKEND directed by Jamie Foxx.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The State of California and the California Film Commission

MPAA Certificate # 51621

Universal Studios is the author of this motion picture for purposes of the Berne Convention and all national laws giving effect thereto.

WHILE THIS PICTURE IS BASED UPON A TRUE STORY, SOME OF THE CHARACTERS HAVE BEEN COMPOSITED OR INVENTED, AND A NUMBER OF INCIDENTS FICTIONALIZED.

THIS MOTION PICTURE IS PROTECTED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES AND OTHER COUNTRIES. UNAUTHORIZED DUPLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR EXHIBITION MAY RESULT IN CIVIL LIABILITY AND CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

IN MEMORY OF BILLY GRAHAM

Unbroken: Path to Redemption: A Brief History of Louis Zamperini’s Journey published first on http://womenoffaith.com

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