1942-2008Michael Crichton is the reason I write, the reason I read.
In the sixth grade my teacher had an expansive library in our classroom that had everything from children's books to classics to modern bestsellers. At the time I was getting burned out on reading, having grown too old to enjoy the books of my youth. Perusing the shelves of her library one day I came across Jurassic Park. Loving the movie, I decided I should read the book. My first grown-up book, it opened my eyes to the ability words have to transport us to another world. Not only did this book singlehandedly make me the avid reader I became over the years, but it made me want to explore the power of written words.
No matter what you thought of Crichton's writing style or unconventional beliefs, there is no denying the impact he had on pop culture. There's a reason he holds a record for being the only person to have simultaneously the number one book, movie, and TV show in the country. He was a man who knew how to transfix his audience through a combination of thoroughly researched information and exciting narrative. Reading one of his books you felt like you were really learning something while being entertained.
If you go through my reviews over the years, the film that pops up in references the most is Jurassic Park. While cinema was not very kind to many of his works, that was one that had undeniably been treated right. I loved it for the very simple fact that it was one of the most ingeniously simple ideas for a story I've seen during my lifetime. We take it for granted now, but looking back it makes sense that it became such a phenomenon. There were very few, if any Crichton novels that I didn't take something away from, he always made me look at the world in a slightly different way. His novels encouraged you to go out and explore and research things you never would have even thought about otherwise.
As you can see, I could go on and on about Crichton for ages. I am deeply saddened by his passing, which came as a sudden shock to me. I respect that he wanted to keep his declining health private, and I simply wish to thank him for his many literary and film contributions over the years that I've cherished. No other writer has affected me in quite the way he has, and I am forever grateful to him for that.
"I am certain that there is too much certainty in the world."
- Michael Crichton
In the sixth grade my teacher had an expansive library in our classroom that had everything from children's books to classics to modern bestsellers. At the time I was getting burned out on reading, having grown too old to enjoy the books of my youth. Perusing the shelves of her library one day I came across Jurassic Park. Loving the movie, I decided I should read the book. My first grown-up book, it opened my eyes to the ability words have to transport us to another world. Not only did this book singlehandedly make me the avid reader I became over the years, but it made me want to explore the power of written words.
No matter what you thought of Crichton's writing style or unconventional beliefs, there is no denying the impact he had on pop culture. There's a reason he holds a record for being the only person to have simultaneously the number one book, movie, and TV show in the country. He was a man who knew how to transfix his audience through a combination of thoroughly researched information and exciting narrative. Reading one of his books you felt like you were really learning something while being entertained.
If you go through my reviews over the years, the film that pops up in references the most is Jurassic Park. While cinema was not very kind to many of his works, that was one that had undeniably been treated right. I loved it for the very simple fact that it was one of the most ingeniously simple ideas for a story I've seen during my lifetime. We take it for granted now, but looking back it makes sense that it became such a phenomenon. There were very few, if any Crichton novels that I didn't take something away from, he always made me look at the world in a slightly different way. His novels encouraged you to go out and explore and research things you never would have even thought about otherwise.
As you can see, I could go on and on about Crichton for ages. I am deeply saddened by his passing, which came as a sudden shock to me. I respect that he wanted to keep his declining health private, and I simply wish to thank him for his many literary and film contributions over the years that I've cherished. No other writer has affected me in quite the way he has, and I am forever grateful to him for that.
"I am certain that there is too much certainty in the world."
- Michael Crichton
