The Books Behind the Summer's Best Movies

Part memoir, part investigation of the cruelties of the factory farm system, Foer's 2009 book so moved actress Natalie Portman that she signed on to produce and narrate a documentary based on it. Like the book, the film exposes some of the worst treatment of chickens, cows and pigs, and spotlights farms that pursue more humane and sustainable practices. (Although Foer is a vegetarian, he doesn't promote vegetarianism so much as asks people to think more carefully about their food choices.) The film version, out June 15, carries over the message of Foer's book, but it doesn't have its messenger. A big reason why you'll stick with the book's most uncomfortable material is because Foer is such a candid, questioning, nonjudgmental guide, moved by the birth of his son to write a story "about the world we live in and who we are and who we want to be."