Not surprisingly, those of us who work at the library like talking about what we watch and read. Last week we took time to gather and have a reading conversation. The subject was family. Lots of titles were mentioned and it’s safe to say, we covered the spectrum from the truly dysfunctional to the warm and fuzzy in our discussion.

Some of the titles mentioned are also movies, so I thought I’d provide a little movie-companion to the books we discussed.

The Godfather

Mario Puzo wrote the novel and the movie stared Marlon Brando and Al Pacino. It’s regarded as one of the greatest and most influential gangster films and made the National Film Registry in 1990!

Little Women

Written by Louisa May Alcott. While there are many versions to choose from – 1933, 1949, 1978, 2017, 2019 (with Emma Watson!) – I think my favorite is the 1994 version with Susan Sarandon and before-he-was-famous Christian Bale.

East of Eden

John Steinbeck wrote the book. The story follows the intertwined destinies of two families and there are TWO movie versions! Check out the 1955 James Dean version or the 1981 version with Jane Seymour.

Glass Castle

Jeannette Walls wrote a memoir about her childhood and last year it became a movie with Brie Larson.

Here are a few other titles in the reading list that are also movies and include a strong theme of family:
The Color Purple
Wonder
To Kill a Mockingbird
Crazy Rich Asians

See more Movie Mind suggestions

Shannon Eddings

Shannon is movie-obsessed and her infatuation with the silver screen can be traced back to a single event. After helping her move into her first apartment, her mom left her with this parting remark: “Don’t spend all your money at the movies!” From that point on, thanks to her library card, Shannon continues to feed her obsession! She is the library's Database Administrator.