Academy Award-winning screenwriter Marc Norman’s latest book, What Happens Next: A History of American Screenwriting, delves into the unsung tale of screenwriters. The book is a reverent ode to the legacy left by screenwriters of the past, as well as an elegant framework for new scriptwriters.

Norman names the screenplay the “source of its (film’s) soul,” arguing that the screenwriter is the first mover of the story – its initial creator. In an age of constant borrowing and sensory overload, it’s refreshing to see a role so competently defined.

Grade: A

What Happens Next is currently available.