Writer and director Peter Hedges on Daniel J. Boorstin's The Image, writing What's Eating Gilbert Grape, and the power of books in our darkest moments. To learn more about the books we discussed in this episode, check out Why I Wake Early by Mary Oliver, An Ocean in Iowa and What's Eating Gilbert Grape by Peter Hedges, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton, and Daniel J. Boorstin's The Image. You can find transcripts of this episode and past ones on LitHub. Check out the podcast Get Booked, and the Start Doing collection and Nine Perfect Strangers from Macmillan Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices