Whether his subject is a slave who risks his life to teach others to read in '' Nightjohn '' -LRB- a book he adapted for a 1996 television movie -RRB- , or an orphan on the streets of Juarez , Mexico , in '' The Crossing '' -LRB- a film version is now in preproduction -RRB- , Mr. Paulsen is always writing to conquer his own dark , painful experiences . ''