Fall Books to Read Before the Movies Come Out
The
newest crop of blockbusters is headed our way—and there's just enough
time left to catch up on the literary originals.
By Mark Athitakis
7 of 8
Beasts of No Nation
By Uzodinma Iweala
176 pages;
Harper Perennial
The tragic legacy of
African child soldiers—revenge killings, drugs, senseless massacres—comes
to life in this saga starring Idris Elba, who plays the leader of a band of
child soldiers. The directing of
the movie—by
True
Detective's Cary Joji Fukunaga is sure to be brilliant—and
devastating. But the beautiful, brutal original novel by Nigerian-American
writer Iweala is given its power by its young narrator, Agu. Though Agu endures—and
sometimes commits—terrible crimes, it's his voice that bonds you to
him and his struggle to make sense of the world.
— Mark Athitakis
Published 10/05/2015
