[For each
of the last
few holiday seasons, I’ve made some
requests to the AmericanStudies
Elves. This year, I thought I’d highlight some amazing American stories that
are ripe for telling in historical fiction films, novels, TV shows, you name
it. Share the stories you’d like to see told, or any other wishes for the AS
Elves, ahead of a wish-full crowd-sourced weekend post!]
The inspiring American
story that hits so many of our sweet spots.
There’s a reason
why I featured the Chinese Educational Mission baseball team in one of my very
first blog posts, as well as giving them a prominent role in my
third book and the book
talk that I developed based on that project. Or rather, there are so many
reasons that make this story a pitch-perfect AmericanStudies one: baseball
as national metaphor of course, but also immigration, cross-cultural
transformation, exclusionary xenophobic fears and an inspiring response
from an immigrant American community, and all of it coming together in one
final baseball game that represented both the worst and the best of these
American histories. I’ve always said that if I ever write a screenplay, it’d be
about that game and the CEM baseball team—but I’m open to working with other
filmmakers or artists, so c’mon AmericanStudies Elves, let’s make this happen!
Next wishing
tomorrow,
Ben
PS. What do you
think? Other wishes you’d share?
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