The Open Road Blog

According to the Midcontinent Public Library and Based on the Book, more than 1,200 books, novels, short stories, and plays have been made into English language feature films—and that's just since 1980! In fact, all but two of this year's Academy Award Best Picture nominees are based on books including The Descendants, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Moneyball, and War Horse.  

Of course it's no secret that Hollywood producers and bestselling authors don't always see eye-to-eye when it comes to writing the all-important screenplay adaptation; but with patience, respect, and determination, success—and maybe ...

Editor's note: When it was published in 1979 William Styron's Sophie's Choice was immediately hailed by The New York Times as "an immensely important book." The following year the novel won the prestigious National Book Award for fiction. Two years later it was made into an Academy Award-winning film starring Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline. Today it is widely regarded as Styron's greatest literary achievement and appeared in The Modern Library's list of 100 greatest English-language novels of the 20th century.

Sophie's Choice tells the story of Stingo, a Southerner who moves to New York to become a writer. After ...