I'm excited to announce that The Anatomy of Courage is being developed as a film!
Growing up in New Zealand during the 1970s and 80s, I remember watching reruns of MASH at 6pm weeknights on the only television channel in the country. I'd sit on the floor in front of our coffee table with my dinner resting in front of me — normally mashed potatoes, sausages and peas, watching MASH before the news came on at 6:30. My mother would be seated on the couch behind me, laughing at the humor that often went over my head, but there were points that resonated with me.
I remember one episode in particular where the MASH surgeons were dressed in their smocks, operating on patients wounded in the war in an operating theatre that was little more than a tent. Hawkeye and Father Mulcahy discussed how war was worse than hell. Why? Because there are no innocent men, women or children in hell, but they sure as hell are caught up in war. Immediately after that episode, there was a news report about bombings in the Middle East, wounding soldiers and civilians. The juxtaposition of comedy against a solemn news report was chilling to my young mind.
Far too often, war is glorified. We’re told war is about defeating an enemy to claim victory. In reality, war is worse than hell. There are no winners. Oh, one side might claim victory, but the only honest way to measure victory is to figure out who lost the least.
As an adult, I read a memoir from the First World War called The Anatomy of Courage, by Lord Moran, who went on to become the personal physician to Winston Churchill. Although his book is long out of print, it was chilling to hear his estimation of courage. Far from grandiose acts of sacrifice, he saw courage in the tenacity to do what is right regardless of circumstances. In his words, “A man of character in peace is a man of courage in war.” Inspired by this, I wrote a science fiction novel called The Anatomy of Courage to keep this perspective alive in modern times.
And it is in light of this that I’m thrilled to announce that a US production company is developing my novel, The Anatomy of Courage, as a film.
Forced Perspective, in association with The Boldest, is adapting The Anatomy of Courage as a movie. They’ve attached Oscar-winning screenwriters David Rabinowitz and Charlie Wachtel to the project—and, for me, that is humbling and quite an honor. I can’t wait to see how they develop the story further. Until then, be sure to check out the novel and the audiobook. Also, you can read their press release in Variety Magazine.
You can find The Anatomy of Courage on Amazon.
Be sure to read the book before you see the film :)