If Beale Street Could Talk. Poster of the 2018 movie and cover of the 1974 book
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If Beale Street Could Talk
James Baldwin, 1974
movie vs book
Barry Jenkins, 2018

Clementine Tish Rivers and Alonzo Fonny Hunt have been friends their whole lives, and begin a romantic relationship when they are older. A white policeman nearby, Officer Bell, witnesses the incident and attempts to arrest Fonny, but reluctantly lets him go when the white woman who runs the grocery store vouches for them and chastises Bell for his racism.


Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Poster of the 2020 movie and cover of the 1984 book
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Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
August Wilson, 1984
movie vs book
George C. Wolfe, 2020

In 1927, Ma Rainey is a highly regarded blues singer who has recently been contracted by white producers. They are soon joined by Levee Green, the band’s overconfident trumpeter who has shown Sturdyvant his original compositions in the hopes of getting his own record deal, and has convinced him to use alternate arrangements he wrote of Ma’s songs.


The Color Purple. Poster of the 2023 movie and cover of the 1982 book
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The Color Purple
Alice Walker, 1982
movie vs book
Blitz Bazawule, 2023

A musical adaptation based on Alice Walker’s novel, portraying the enduring challenges faced by an African American woman residing in the southern United States during the early 1900s.


Candyman. Poster of the 2021 movie and cover of the 1985 book, The Forbidden
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The Forbidden
Clive Barker, 1985
movie vs book
Nia DaCosta, 2021

For as long as the residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini Green neighborhood were terrorized by the word-of-mouth ghost story about the supernatural killer Daniel Robitaille, aka the Candyman, easily summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror. A decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, a visual artist and his girlfriend move into a luxurious loft condo in Cabrini.


Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches. Poster of the 2022 movie and cover of the 2018 book, Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom
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Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom
David W. Blight, 2018
movie vs book
Julia Marchesi, 2022

Acclaimed actors draw from five of Douglass’ legendary speeches, to represent a different moment in the tumultuous history of 19th century America as well as a different stage of Douglass’ long and celebrated life, while famed scholars provide context for the speeches, and remind us that Frederick Douglass’ words about racial injustice still resonate deeply today.


Fear the Walking Dead. Poster of the 2015 TV series and cover of the 2004 comic book, The Walking Dead
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The Walking Dead
Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, 2004
TV series vs comic book
Dave Erickson, Robert Kirkman, 2015-

Fear the Walking Dead follow two dysfunctional and blended families who must band together to survive the undead apocalypse. They must reinvent themselves, learning new skills and adopting new attitudes in order to survive as civilization collapses around them.


The God Committee. Poster of the 2021 movie and cover of the 2017 book
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The God Committee
Mark St. Germain, 2017
movie vs book
Austin Stark, 2021

As a donor heart arrives at a New York hospital, the intended recipient dies. Due to this unexpected crisis, an organ transplant committee must convene within one hour to decide which of three other patients currently waiting for a transplant deserves the life-saving heart. As the debate over the heart heats up, ethics and bribes clash, leaving the committee members to question what’s more valuable: morals or money?