A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

August 10, 2009
Miller, the accidental memoirist who struck gold with the likable ramble Blue Like Jazz
, writes about the challenges inherent in getting unstuck creatively and spiritually. After Jazz
sold more than a million copies but his other books didn't follow suit, he had a classic case of writer's block. Two movie producers contacted him about creating a film out of his life, but Miller's initial enthusiasm was dampened when they concluded that his real life needed doctoring lest it be too directionless for the screen. Real stories, he learned, require characters who suffer and overcome. In desultory fashion, Miller sets out to change his own life—to be the kind of guy who seeks out his father, chases the girl and undertakes a quest. Along the way, he comes to understand God as a master storyteller who doesn't quite control where his characters are going. An unexpected bonus of this book is Miller's insights into the writing process. Readers who loved Blue Like Jazz
will find here a somewhat more mature Miller, still funny as hell but more concerned about making a difference in the world than in merely commenting on it.