This note, from his successful novel The Fault in Our Stars, pretty much summarizes how I felt every time one of my students would ask if something we read was based on a true story.
I partially blame Hollywood. The fantastic phrasing "based on real events" and "inspired by the amazing true story" have led people to believe that the only thing worth seeing, reading, knowing is what really happened.
But, as we all know, there is no "what really happened." You hear it in many different iterations, and one of my favorites has always been that there are three versions to every story: yours, theirs, and the truth.
How does one capture truth? More importantly, why does one try?
One of my very favorite movies ever is "based on a true story." Remeber the Titans chronicles the journey of a high school football team as they undergo the painful and difficult process of racial integration. It is a spectacularly made film and one that has always resonated with me because of that and because of its message.
One day, after watching an interview with the actual coach of the team, I thought it would be fun to find out how accurately the movie portrayed the events. I found several websites (like this one) indicating that the screenwriter created several characters from thin air and mostly exaggerated the racial tension between the players. Which is basically the point of the film.
So, did I give up on the film and decide it was worthless? No. I didn't even feel put-out that the film wasn't accurate. If I had wanted to know what race relations were like in the 1970s, I could have watched a documentary, read a textbook, or asked a family member.
The point is that I found the story compelling because it was a well-told story. Just because it didn't happen this way doesn't mean it couldn't have. Just because someone decided to stretch the truth to make something powerful and meaningful doesn't mean you shouldn't see it as powerful and meaningful.
Because being real is far less important than being meaningful.
(ok, I'll step off my soapbox now...)
A book is a portable kind of magic
--Stephen King
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