Article contributed by Raathi Chota
There’s been countless of adaptations over the last few decades. With Percy Jackson receiving a reboot by Disney+, I thought it’d be nice to share other adaptations from books worth checking out, but this list is just the start to so many films and TV shows.
Game of Thrones
One of the hugest fandoms and what truly set television into motion was the adaptation of Game of Thrones. Written by George R. R. Martin and published in the nineties, HBO adapted it into a series in 2011. From there it attained popularity and became one of the most binge-worth shows. After its eighth season, the books are still being read, and the show is still watched. Truly, a hard adaptation to top for the next few years.
Stand By Me
A film released in 1986 was from Stephen King’s short story collection, Different Seasons and the novella became highly regarded and published separately. Originally published as The Body, when adapted, it became Stand By Me and with a few differences compared to the book, the film still became a classic. I remember analysing it in high school and loved the film. Starring River Phoenix, who was bound to become as big as his brother. May he rest in peace.
Crazy Rich Asians
Most people know this film as it has become an iconic romantic comedy. Written by Kevin Kwan in 2013 and its sequel, China Rich Girl in 2015—Kwan topped the New York Times Best Seller’s list multiple times. The book and movie is a pleasure to come back to repeatedly!
The Hate U Give
Appealing to young adult readers, THUG has won the Goodreads Choice Awards three times! Angie Thomas changed the norms of YA and brought out its lack of diversity. The movie itself came out in 2018 and really gave a name to Amandla Stenberg who stars in it. With the book always being in the NYT bestsellers list, the book and movie are definitely worth it.
Little Fires Everywhere
Recently adapted by Hulu into a miniseries that released in March, Little Fires Everywhere touches on subjects like racism, privilege, wealth, family, and motherly love. The adaptation filled its potential with a minor change at the end, but it got the word across. The book written by Celeste Ng is definitely a must-read before binge-watching the show.
Holes
A classic children’s novel published 1998 and written by Louis Sachar, the film adaptation came out in 2003 featuring actors such as Shia LaBeouf, Patricia Arquette, and Zane Holtz. The book and film became popular for its crime driven adventure story.
Life of Pi
Written by Yann Martel and published in 2001, Life of Pi became a beautiful story for readers around the globe and then viewers when it adapted into a movie in 2012. The movie has won over ten awards and took the world by storm with how well they adapted it. Certainly a novel to look back on!
Looking For Alaska
Like any John Green novel, Looking For Alaska captured the hearts of readers when it first came out in 2005 and over the years, it has won many literary awards. After a decade and a half of trying to get the book adapted, Hulu finally bought the rights to the book and gave readers a beautiful series.
Fight Club
First published in 1996 and written by Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Clubbecame popular for its unique plot and driven characters. Adapted in 1999, people all around the world were in for a wild ride. First rule of Fight Club. Don’t talk about it, so you must either read or watch to find out all the hype.
Room
Written by Emma Donoghue comes the heart-breaking story of a woman raising her son in one tiny room. Jack finds the room a home while his mother sees it as a prison. Published in 2010, Room earned many awards and landed an adaptation in 2015. Starring Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay, the book and film will shatter your soul.
There are so many books that have been adapted. This is just the beginning.
