Books to Read Before the Summer Blockbuster Movies Come Out
Some of our all-time favorite novels and memoirs are about to have their debuts as films. Here's what to enjoy on the page, as well as on the screen.
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Tracks: A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback
By Robyn Davidson
256 pages;
Pantheon
This
memoir classic from the 1980s retraces Davidson's journey by camel
across the Australian outback, from Alice Springs to the continent's west
coast. Along the way, Davidson fights off aggressive men, struggles with the
racial inequality of her country and examines her own place in the world. The
film version includes an on-again-off-again relationship with Girls' Adam Driver (thank
you), but what the memoir does so effectively is reveal the wild—at
times, overwhelming—solitude of this landscape. Seeing the emptiness
of the Australian desert on the screen is a thrill; but, following in
Davidson's footsteps on the page is like baking under the sun right along with
her.
— Jordan Foster
Published 05/19/2014