Paralinguistics’s Weblog

I wrote in an earlier post about literature and schools, and it got me thinking about all of the movies out there that have been made into books. Which is better, the movie or the book, has been a debate that I have encountered more than once…and in response to those debates, I’ve collected a few books that surpass the movies.

The Beach, by Alex Garland.

White Oleander, by Janet Finch.

Someone Like You, merged with That Summer, by Sarah Dessen. (These two books turned into How to Deal with Mandy Moore)

And while I bring up Mandy Moore, A Walk to Remember, by Nicholas Sparks.

Now, for book/movie series

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R. Tolkien

The Harry Potter books, by J.K. Rowling

For those of you who like something a little lighter,

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl

More girly?

The Devil Wears Prada, by Lauren Weisberger

A bit more action packed?

Fight Club, by Chuck Palahunik

Science Fiction?

La Plantete des Singes, by Pierre Boulle (Better known as the film adaption Plant of the Apes)

Why is this the case? Why is it that I strongly feel that the books are better than the movies (And yes, I can vouch for them all.) Because the imagination is wild. Without the restraints of movies, there are no predecided ideas, and it is possible to take a place, a person, an object, and make it look however you want. The imagination can stretch things beyond reality, whereas the movies show you how it is, and give no room for interpretation.

The imagination is our gateway out of reality, and we can make it into whatever we want.

I am A.D.D. For anyone that knows me, I dare say that it’s not a secret, and there have been many, many times when I have resented it. I think it’s important to look at the ways in which the media have helped me to accept myself also, as opposed to the many reasons why the media is bad, bad, bad for self-esteem.

It is fairly well known that one reason in which people have a hard time dealing with their issues is because they feel like no one understands or that they are all alone. However, now that the world has become connected to the extreme by the internet, one has endless possibilities to meet people and obtain information.

When I am feeling down or frustrated by my A.D.D., I hop onto google for inspiration. After doing a search, I can find many people just like me that have A.D.D. I’m not talking about John Doe, I’m talking of people who can show me not only the downfalls, but the advantages I have. For example, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Walt Disney and F. Scott Fitzgerald all have A.D.D., among many, many others.

I guess it’s not a strong argument against the ways in which the media has evolved (not always for the best), but it’s always nice to know that there’s one place to go when you’re in need of a bit of inspiration.