Roots. Poster of the 1977 TV series and cover of the 1976 book, Roots: The Saga of an American Family
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Roots: The Saga of an American Family
Alex Haley, 1976
TV series vs book
Marvin J. Chomsky, John Erman, David Greene, Gilbert Moses, 1977

Kunta Kinte is abducted from his African village, sold into slavery, and taken to America. He makes several escape attempts until he is finally caught and maimed. He marries Bell, his plantation’s cook, and they have a daughter, Kizzy, who is eventually sold away from them. Kizzy has a son by her new master, and the boy grows up to become Chicken George.


Midnight Express. Poster of the 1978 movie and cover of the 1977 book
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Midnight Express
Billy Hayes, William Hoffer, 1977
movie vs book
Alan Parker, 1978

On October 6, 1970, on holiday in Istanbul, Turkey, American college student Billy Hayes straps 2 kg of hashish blocks to his chest. After a while, a shadowy American – who is never named but is nicknamed Tex by Billy, for his thick Texan accent – arrives, takes Billy to a police station, and translates Billy’s English for one of the detectives.


The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. Poster of the 1988 movie and cover of the 1954 book
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The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Herman Wouk, 1954
movie vs book
Robert Altman, 1988

The story follows the Naval trial proceedings involving a young lieutenant who took the initiative to relieve his captain of command of the destroyer-minesweeper U.S.S. Caine during a tumultuous typhoon. This high-quality telefilm masterfully presents a courtroom drama that showcases its excellence.


Child of Darkness, Child of Light. Poster of the 1991 movie and cover of the 1980 book, Virgin
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Virgin
James Patterson, 1980
movie vs book
Marina Sargenti, 1991

The Vatican sends Father Rosetti to a small town in Pennsylvania to investigate a report of a potential virgin birth, but he is attacked by unidentified bikers on the way and left in a catatonic state. As a result, the Vatican dispatches Father Justin O’Carroll to take his place, warning him that 70 years earlier, the Virgin Mary appeared in an Italian village and left a message predicting the birth of a divine child at the end of the century.