I could not find a lot of information about the author but I did learn that Robert O'Brien was an author and journalist for National Geographic. His daughter, Sarah O'Brien Conly, said, "My father...lived in Washington D.C. and visited NIMH, where he actually saw rats being tested for intelligence" (Conly, 2011). This is what likely inspired his novel and had him question what would happen if the rats had gained intelligence enough to escape and live on their own. His daughter also states that her father "died very soon after writing Mrs. Frisby and so I don't know what he thought. I don't know if he really thought that more intelligence would lead to a better world" (Conly, 2011).
Media
In 1982, Don Bluth directed his first full film, The Secret of NIMH which was inspired by the novel. Here is the movie trailer
