Tough Choices: John Moe or Lois Lowry?

Morgan Spurlock did it with Super Size Me and later 30 Days on FX. Now, rather than gorging on McDonalds to see if it has adverse effects, Seattle public radio commentator JON MOE decided to hang out with a bunch of Republicans for a month straight. Conservatize Me: How I Tried to Become a Righty with the Help of Richard Nixon, Sean Hannity, Toby Keith, and Beef Jerky is the result of his month-long immersion in Conservative Country. Moe visited a trancendentalist church, discussed issues with National Review editor Rich Lowry, and spent down time at the Regan museum and a gun-range to discover whether his decidedly liberal values are capable of a sudden turnaround. There’s no shock-and-awe transformation here, but Moe will share what he learned at Barnes & Noble at Boston University, 660 Beacon St, Boston | 7 pm | Free | 617.267.8484.

Also tomorrow, and also free, a panel talk at the Coolidge Corner Theatre and the Brookline Booksmith: (via Coolidge.org)

"Ever wonder what authors think about movies based on their books? Or, why moviemakers took your favorite novel and turned the girl into a boy, killed the dog, or added a love interest? Do authors get any say in the matter? Well, they're about to, albeit after the fact. And a moviemaker will tell us why changes are made when a story moves from one medium to another.

The NO, BUT I SAW THE MOVIE panel will be moderated by Lois Lowry, author of The Giver, which is currently being adapted for film. The panel will include two other children’s authors whose books have been portrayed on screen -- Phyllis Naylor, Newbery Award winning author of Shiloh, and Newbery Honoree Natalie Babbitt, author of Tuck Everlasting -- along with Randy Testa of Walden Media LLC, the company that has produced such adaptations as Beacuse of Winn Dixie, Hoot, Holes, How to Eat Fried Worms, and The Chronicles of Narnia, among others."

Seriously great line-up of YA authors. This is not to be missed, especially if your copy of The Giver is as well-worn as ours. Or if you get really pissed off about movie adaptations of incredible YA/children's lit books. Tuck Everlasting, a gut-wrenching YA novel that somehow involved a very adult-ish love story, did not a have fantastic book-to-film adaptation (though, we enjoyed it anyway -- Alexis Bledel was a really good Winnie). Hopefully The Giver will fare better, because we totally heart that book like whoa.