The Reader's Shelf—Page to Screen: Read the Book, See the Movie

Although the calendar says summer ends on September 22, everyone knows that once mid-August arrives, the carefree days of lazy evenings and slow mornings are numbered. Pairing the pleasures of reading books and watching movies is a perfect way to ease back into the hectic schedules and shorter days of fall.

Monica Ali's award-winning debut novel, Brick Lane (Scribner. 2008. ISBN 978-1-4165-8407-0. pap. $15), tells the parallel stories of Muslim sisters Nazneen and Hasina, born and raised in a patriarchal Bangladeshi village. Traditionalist Nazneen submits to an arranged marriage and moves to Brick Lane in London's East End, where she becomes a domestic prisoner. In contrast, hoping to escape the same fate, Hasina tragically marries for love. In her debut feature, currently playing in theaters and due out on DVD 3/10/09, director Sarah Gavron follows the novel's literary themes of self-discovery and identity.

In Jonathan Trigell's moving Boy A (Serpent's Tail. 2008. ISBN 978-1-84668-662-7. pap. $14.95), Jack Burridge is a twentysomething ex-con who has spent most of his life incarcerated. As the unworldly Jack struggles to rebuild his life after ten years in prison, his haunting past continually dogs his future. It is a theme that director John Crowley's British TV adaptation, a hit at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, translates well to the screen. Will Jack transform, or will he continue to be “Boy A,” the boy labeled and tried alongside “Boy B” for a sensationalized, sadistic murder?

In Sherwood Kiraly's Diminished Capacity (Griffin: St. Martin's. 2008. ISBN 978-0-312-38703-7. pap. $13.95), amnesia-afflicted Cooper and his girlfriend travel to Missouri to rescue Uncle Rollie, who is losing everything, including his mind. A rare and valuable baseball card sparks a comical road trip to Chicago to sell the card and save Rollie from financial disaster. True to the original text, the recently released hilarious, bittersweet film adaptation, directed by actor Terry Kinney with a screenplay by Kiraly and starring Matthew Broderick and Alan Alda, explores the importance of memories in framing the meaning of our lives and influencing others.

Take a quest into the earth's core with Jules Verne's sf classic Journey to the Center of the Earth (Signet Classics. 2003. ISBN 978-0-451-52896-4. pap. $5.95). When Professor Liedenbrock stumbles across ancient documents that indicate the existence of a lost world, he invites his nephew on an adventure that proves to be both a literal voyage, descending into the unknown realm, as well as a metaphorical journey, exploring the interior of the human spirit. Academy Award–winning visual effects expert Eric Brevig's film remake, starring Brendan Fraser, animates Verne's unforgettable scenes into 3-D visual bliss. The 1959 version starring James Mason is available on DVD and videocassette.

Elinor Lipman's best-selling novel Then She Found Me (Washington Square: S. & S. 2008. ISBN 978-1-4165-8993-8. pap. $14) opens with high school Latin teacher April Epner coping with the death of her adoptive parents. Just when she thought her life could not get worse, April is found by her contrary, biological mother, Bernice Graverman, a gossipy talk-show hostess who seems intent on taking over April's once mundane and orderly life. This romantic comedy adapts well to the big screen, although first-time director Helen Hunt makes some tweaks to the original story. You will be moved as April (Hunt) and Bernice (Bette Midler) discover what it means to be family. [The DVD is scheduled for a 9/2/08 release.—Ed.]

Mark Millar's graphic novel Wanted (Top Cow. 2007. ISBN 978-1-58240-497-4. pap. $19.99) is the darkly violent tale of Wesley Gibson, a sad sack of a young man until he is recruited by a secret society of evil assassins. Wesley's murdered father was this gang's former leader, and Wesley is next in line to lead the supervillains. In current release, Russian director Timur Bekmambetov's adrenaline, action-packed film version, starring James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, and Morgan Freeman, translates the book's provocative ideas into live action.

When Did You Last See Your Father? A Son's Memoir of Love and Loss (Picador: St. Martin's. 2008. ISBN 978-0-312-42709-2. pap. $14) is a moving account of author Blake Morrison's attempt to mend his difficult relationship with his recently diagnosed, terminally ill father, Arthur. Arthur's contrary and multifaceted nature, which creates heartache and estrangement, forces readers to reflect on the flaws of human nature as well as on the complexity of father/son interactions. Anand Tucker's film version, starring Colin Firth, Jim Broadbent, and Juliet Stevenson, deftly unravels the difficult emotional layers of this best-selling memoir.

This column was contributed by Julie Davis, Librarian, Golden West Community College, Huntington Beach, CA. Davis also has an M.A. in English