We loved Susannah Gora's book You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation here at Moviepie.com, and in honor of the book's paperback release we caught up with this fabulous author for a bit of Q & A:

Moviepie: You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried reads like a lifetime labor of love. How long did it actually take you to write it?

Susannah Gora: Thank you — it was indeed a lifetime labor of love! I first saw The Breakfast Club when I was thirteen years old, and it changed my life. Here was a movie—a beautifully written, powerfully acted movie—about the very things I was concerned with as a young person: identity, wondering where you fit in, questions of coolness and conformity. Once I saw that film, I was hooked—I discovered the others in the genre, like Pretty in Pink and St. Elmo’s Fire, and loved them all. When I got to college at Duke in the mid 1990’s, I met people from all over America who loved the movies as much as I did, but more importantly, I discovered that we used the 80s youth movies as a prism through which to discuss the larger issues in our lives: friendship, love, identity, even things like class distinction and politics. That’s when I realized, something deep is going on here in terms of these films and the effect they can have on people. One night, after watching two or three of the films back to back with my friends in our dorm, the notion swept across my mind that one day, I wanted to write a book exploring the history behind how the films were made, and the great sociological impact the films had as well. That idea informed the kind of life I wanted to live; it was one of the reasons I decided to become a film journalist. I got my book contract in 2007, and the book came out in hardcover in 2010. It’s been an extraordinary journey, a great honor, and a dream come true to be able to write this book.

Can you pick a favorite of the films you discuss in the book?

I’ve got to go with The Breakfast Club. In my opinion, it is the greatest youth film ever made. Many things make this film so special: including the powerful acting—which ranges from charming to haunting—the sparkling script, the passionate directing, and even the flawless editing. It’s also a deeply satisfying film to watch, as the characters reveal themselves to each other, and to us, in beautiful and unforgettable ways.

How would you say the course of your life has been shaped by these classic teen films?

In terms of the impact the ‘80s films have had upon my life, it is very real, and very wide-reaching. The concept that the Breakfast Club kids, though they were different, could all make such close connections with each other when they peeled back the layers of their exterior selves stuck with me, and as a result, in high school I really did make a conscious effort to make friends with kids from all different cliques, because I saw, in The Breakfast Club, how rewarding those connections could be. The dreamy Sixteen Candles helped shape my visions of romance, and I found the deep friendships shared in St. Elmo's Fire and Ferris Bueller's Day Off very inspirational as well. And of course, the films have had a tremendous impact on my professional life. I decided to become a film journalist in large part because I hoped to one day be able to write this book.

The process of researching the book must have realized quite a few of your teenage dreams. Was there a particular hero or heartthrob you were especially thrilled to meet?

Everyone I spoke to was lovely—I felt so lucky that they shared their stories with me. In particular, it was an amazing honor to be able to interview the incomparable Molly Ringwald. She was at the heart of these films, and I felt so grateful that she shared her fascinating, surprising, and beautiful memories with me. And I also loved getting to interview Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall, Matthew Broderick, Rob Lowe, Jon Cryer, and Andrew McCarthy—I found all of them to be exceptionally intelligent, funny, thoughtful and warm. But if I had to pick my favorite, I'd probably have to say Judd Nelson. I have always been a great admirer of his work, and he is a terrifically smart, kind, witty and lovely person.

Did doing such in-depth research on these movies taint them for you in any way (i.e. at any point did you have too much of a good thing)?

I was a bit nervous about that going in, but I found instead that learning so many meaningful things about how the films were made, and about the people who made them, only made my respect and affection for the films that much greater.

The book has been out in hardcover for a year now, can you tell us a bit about the response you've gotten from readers?

One of the most extraordinary parts of my entire journey with this book has been the wonderful response that I’ve gotten from readers, something that makes me feel humbled and proud. I receive amazing emails from people telling me that my book has touched them deeply, and has reminded them of just how important these films have been to them, shaping their lives in countless ways. Some of these emails, in which readers let me know that my book has allowed them to tap into powerful truths about the movies’ important role in their own lives, are so emotional that I end up in tears by the time I’m finished reading them. And some of the emails just make me feel really happy and proud—like the one from a woman who told me that my book brought her so much joy, she allowed herself to read only a chapter a week so as to stretch out the experience! It all just validates what I’d known in my heart all along—that these movies changed people’s lives, and the impact lives on and on.

For more information about You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried (a true tour de force of 80s pop culture), please visit www.bratpackbook.com.

Interviews | Susannah Gora | Brat Pack | John Hughes | 80s | Judd Nelson | Molly Ringwald | Pretty In Pink | Sixteen Candles | Breakfast Club