
Jennifer is a communications nerd with a passion for stories in every form. She spends more time with a book in hand, an iPod attached, and a pen and paper at her side than is probably healthy. She also loves a good debate. You have been warned.
Chances are you have an opinion on whether, when a book becomes a movie, you should read the book before seeing it on the silver screen.
Taekia’s blog on Wednesday gave the perspective that seeing the movie first does no harm. And I agree, books and movies shouldn’t be the same. It doesn’t work.
However, I think, when possible, the book should be read first. Hear me out.
I am an avid reader – classics, YA contemporary fiction, literary fiction, biographies, fantasy – you name it, I probably enjoy it. Yet, despite my nerdy reading habits, there have been a few instances where I saw a movie before reading the book. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Help, and Breaking Dawn, Part I are a few examples.
And guess what? I regretted it, every single time (well… maybe not so much for Breaking Dawn).
Here’s my argument. My version of a world, my imagination, is never the same as the movie. And sometimes, yes, the movie does it better (yes, I said it! Didn’t see that coming, did you?). For example, I hold the unpopular opinion that the Harry Potter movies improved my visualization of Rowling’s world. Don’t give me that look guys. It’s a valid opinion, k?
And here’s what’s important. The version I prefer is entirely my choice.
When I read a book for the first time, I want to have the opportunity to visualize that world from scratch, be surprised by the sound of the characters’ voices in my head, and go along with the plot, even if it’s a tad bumpy. I want what the author put to the page to come alive in my head. And if, when I see the movie I happen to like that rendition better, then I can allow that version to be what I visualize in my head from there on out. But if I didn’t, then I still have ownership of what it looks like in my head. But when I see the movie first, often that ownership is difficult to get back.
So, in the end, it’s a preference. How do you want the way the story lives in your head to be decided? There is no real “right” answer. The creator of the tale, whether in the form of pen and paper or scenes and special effects, leaves that decision entirely up to you. It’s your story now. Do with it what you will.







