Books to Movies Week: I Didn't Know They Made THAT Into A Movie!

Those of us that grew up in the 70s and 80s remember the ABC After School Specials. From my file of useless knowledge, I've come up with a list of books that were made into movies that people either forgot about or didn't know they existed.

1. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Yes, it's a bestselling book by Maya Angelou, but did you know it was made into a movie back in 1979? Starring Diahann Carroll, Paul Winfield, Esther Rolle, Madge Sinclair and Ruby Dee, this little known film is available on VHS at Amazon.com.

2. A Hero Ain't Nothin But A Sandwich by Alice ChildressDope. Smack. Junk. Heroin. No matter what you call it, you can't change the fact that 13-year-old Benjie is on it. Oh no ... he's not hooked, though. He could stop anytime ... really. But why is a young kid like Benjie using at all? Originally published in 1973, Alice Childress's novel remains one of the most profound explorations of an addict's world ever written. What makes this novel different is that Childress points no fingers and offers no easy answers. Her characters' moods and motivations are complex, fresh, unexpected, and courageously real. Woven into Benjie's own ramblings about his situation are the thoughts of those involved by association--his mother, stepfather, friends, the pusher, and teachers at his school.



3. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest GainesI know people who swear up and down that Jane Pittman was a real person. She was not. It's a testament to the author that so many people believe she was. Set in the early 1860s through the civil rights movement in the 1960s, this book and movie cover the life of Miss Jane Pittman, a witness to history in the making.


4. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred TaylorFrom the Young Adult genre, Roll of Thunder... is the story of nine year old Cassie Logan and her family. Cassie has never understood why her family's land has always been so important to her father until the Night Riders threaten to take it away.


5. The Feast of All Saints by Anne RiceChronicling the lives of Free People of Color in Louisiana before the Civil War, Anne Rice introduces readers to a world that is often overlooked when telling the story of people of African descent. I found the book absolutely fascinating and was delighted when it was made into a movie in 2005.



What books have you read that have been made into movies that the rest of us don't know about?
Coming up tomorrow: A guest post from author Sharon Ball.

Books to Movies Week: Before They Were Good Movies, They Were Good Books!

Welcome to a new week and a new theme for the week!

The contest prize from the other week, Orange Mint and Honey, got me to thinking about other books that have been made into movies. I've seen some that were much better than the movie and others that did the book no justice. I've put together a short list of the good, the bad and the meh.

The Good

Book: Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

Movie: Christmas with the Kranks starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Tim Allen

Premise: With their daughter leaving town for the holidays, the Kranks decide to forego the usual holiday hoopla in favor of a Caribbean cruise. Foolishness ensues when they receive a last minute call that their daughter is coming home for Christmas! The book and the movie were hilarious. John Grisham really made a great departure from his usual legal-based books.

Books: Christine, Cujo, Needful Things, Carrie, The Shining & The Dead Zone by Stephen King

Movies: Same titles as books

Premise: Stephen King is the king of macabre. He gets it right in books and it translates well into his movies. He plays an integral part in bringing his books to life in film and has been known to make appearances in several of them, including The Shining and The Stand.

Book: Roots by Alex Haley

Movies: Roots & Roots: The Next Generations

Premise: Alex Haley traces his family's history from 1750 in the African village of Juffure to 1960's Tennessee. As a child I remember being allowed to stay up past my bedtime to watch both of these groundbreaking miniseries. At my age it was difficult for me to grasp everything that I saw, but I never forgot it. On home for Christmas break in college, I picked up the book which had been on the family bookshelf for years. I devoured all 650+ pages in two days. It took me awhile to get the complete collection because The Next Generations wasn't released on DVD until 2007, but I'm proud to say I own it.

Book: The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Movie: The Color Purple

Premise: I don't think I have to break this down for anyone. I know people that can quote the movie because they've seen it more times than they can count. It's a book, it's a movie, it's a musical, it's a movement!

Book: Memoirs of A Geisha by Arthur Golden

Movie: Memoirs of A Geisha

Premise: As beautiful in written form as it is on film, this is the story of a poor girl from a Japanese fishing village that finds herself working in a geisha house, first as a maid and then as a geisha. Chronicling her journey from servant to the most famous geisha in Kyoto, this story is simply remarkable.

What good books have you read that have been made into good movies? And what about bad books that turned out to be good movies?

Coming up tomorrow: I Didn't Know They Made THAT Into A Movie!