So imagine two twins whose dad is a homeless, alcoholic roofer who dies alone in prison. You love your dad, regardless, and want to honor his life. So you do what any normal children of a home less, alcoholic roofer with drive and ambition would do; you write a script, direct and produce a movie starring an Academy Award nominee, with not a dime to your name AND you do it in a year. If nothing else the concept (and sub-title, "Two brothers, twelve months, and one filmmaking hell-ride to keep a promise to their father") cause you to pause an consider whether it can be done.
Obviously it can or the book would lack much interest. What makes the book the page-turner that it is is HOW they completed this. These two young men, themselves high school graduates working various jobs including male model (with a strange moment of gold body paint) and bouncer, managed to make a feature film in one year featuring cast and crew with 36 Academy Awards or nominations. "Eithe You're In or You're In the Way" reads like an unabridged directors' commentary. In fact you can almost feel as if the authors, Logan and Noah Miller, are sitting next to you at a bar, restaurant, cafe and just telling you this story. Characters, places, mistakes, triumphs each is outlined in a way that not only adds the suspense of a real-life "how did they do that" but also forces you to move on in the book to figure out where they go next.
Either You're In or You're In the Way also gives a glimmer of hope that there are people who are genuinely willing to help other people without always wondering what is in it for them. There is no sapiness in the book. As a matter of fact the scenes with their dad are mentioned more as the background for their action than as a foundation for the book itself. (One assumes that the story of their father is, obviously, fleshed out more in the film, "Touching Home.") Time after time, though these guys find professionals in the film industry who are willing, eager even, to work with them to produce their film. To produce this tribute to their father.
Oddly enough I wouldn't call this a father-son book. It feels like a buddy movie, with a cover. It is also a film book. It may not give you traditional answers to how the film industry normally works but it does give you and idea as to how it CAN work - especially when dealing with two people as driven as Logan and Noah Miller.
I also have to add that as a marketing tool for the film, it is excellent. I hope and plan to see "Touching Home" when it becomes available (on DVD, of course...I never get to GO to movies anymore.) Try both. Read the book and see the film. See the film, then read the book. Neither are going to be complete without the other.
Either You're In or You're In the Way