--- title: 5 Books to Read Before Awards Season description: Get prepared for awards season by reading the books that inspired some of this year's most compelling films. canonical: https://time.com/4626310/awards-season-books/ author: Real Simple article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-06T18:42:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T02:35:45.833Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 5 Books to Read Before Awards Season og:description: The page-turners that inspired some of the most compelling movies this year og:url: https://time.com/4626310/awards-season-books/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt91cf0f1c30337f94/6988b4a286f68e85b06e3150/books-turned-movies.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: books-turned-movies og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 5 Books to Read Before Awards Season twitter:description: The page-turners that inspired some of the most compelling movies this year twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt91cf0f1c30337f94/6988b4a286f68e85b06e3150/books-turned-movies.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 5 Books to Read Before Awards Season > Sponsored content. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=a3f6c523-be7d-43e5-b212-c3f29df59303&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) by [Liz Steelman / Real Simple](https://time.com/author/real-simple/) ## Liz Steelman / Real Simple Jan 6, 2017 6:42 PM UTC  Amazon(2) by [Liz Steelman / Real Simple](https://time.com/author/real-simple/) ## Liz Steelman / Real Simple Jan 6, 2017 6:42 PM UTC **_1\. Hidden Figures_** **, by Margot Lee Shetterly** Fun fact: the film adaptation of this _New York Times_\-bestseller began shooting even before the book was released in September. And it’s not hard to see why: Shetterly’s meticulously-researched, inspiring story jumps off the page. The book celebrates Dorothy Vaughn, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden, the black female mathematicians who worked as “human computers” at the Langley memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in Hampton, Virginia during World War II, tabulating the calculations that would send man into space. Octavia Spencer is nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture at the 2017 Golden Globes, and Han Zimmer, Pharrell Williams, and Benjamin Wallfisch are also nominated for Best Original Score. **To buy:** [amazon.com](https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Figures-American-Untold-Mathematicians/dp/006236359X/?tag=timecom-20). **_2\. A Long Way Home: A Memoir_** **, by Saroo Brierley** If you need proof of how technology allows us to do some remarkable things, look to Saroo Brierley’s remarkable memoir, the inspiration behind the film _Lion_. Brierley recounts how, at age five he was separated from his parents while riding a train in India and spent weeks alone in Calcutta because he was unable to provide information that would help locate his family. Eventually he was put up for adoption and went to live with a couple in Australia. If that story isn’t compelling (and heartbreaking) enough, fast forward to the creation of Google Earth, which an adult Brierley used to look at satellite images and eventually find the home he lost as a boy. _Lion_ is nominated for four 2017 Golden Globes: Best Motion Picture—Drama, Best Supporting Actor (Dev Patel) and Actress (Nicole Kidman), and Best Original Score (Dustin O’Halloran and Hauschka). **To buy**: [amazon.com](https://www.amazon.com/Long-Way-Home-Memoir/dp/0425276198/?tag=timecom-20). **_3\. Fences_** **, by August Wilson** Wilson’s challenging play—about an African American man struggling to provide for his family in the 1950s—is no stranger from critical acclaim. In 1987, it received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, as well as the Tony Award for Best Play. After starring in its 2010 Broadway revival with Viola Davis, Denzel Washington chose to adapt the play as his directorial debut. Both actors returned to star in the film, and are nominated for 2017 Golden Globes for their roles. **To buy**: [amazon.com](https://www.amazon.com/Fences-August-Wilson/dp/0452264014/?tag=timecom-20). **_4\. Stories of Your Life and Others_** **, by Ted Chiang** Chiang’s short story was adapted into the film _Arrival_, starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Forest Whitaker. Although the sci-fi collection features eight short stories, the titular story was the inspiration behind the major motion picture, which centers around a linguistics professor trying to communicate with aliens—and save humanity from potential destruction. Adams received a 2017 Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress—Motion Picture Drama for her performance, and Jóhann Jóhannsson picked up a nom for Best Original Score. **To buy**: [amazon.com](https://www.amazon.com/Stories-Your-Life-Others-Chiang/dp/1101972122/?tag=timecom-20). **5\.** **_Tony and Susan_** **, by Austin Wright** f you’re looking for a thrilling and chilling read, turn to Wright’s 1993 novel which inspired the film _Nocturnal Animals_. It follows a lonely woman who receives a manuscript from her first husband that forces her to confront some unfortunate truths about her past. Tom Ford (yes, that one) received two 2017 Golden Globe nominations (Best Screenplay and Best Director) for his ambitious adaptation. Aaron Taylor-Johnson also picked up a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. **To buy:** [amazon.com](https://www.amazon.com/Tony-Susan-riveting-inspired-NOCTURNAL/dp/1478970634/?tag=timecom-20). _This_ [_article_](http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/entertainment/books-turned-movies-2016/?tag=time-rs) _originally appeared on_ [_RealSimple.com_](http://www.realsimple.com) _We’ve included affiliate links in this article._ [_Click here_](http://time.com/4605406/time-affiliate-link-policy/) _to learn what those are._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4626310/awards-season-books/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4626310/awards-season-books/"},"headline":"5 Books to Read Before Awards Season","datePublished":"2017-01-06T18:42:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T02:35:45.833Z","description":"These are the page-turners that inspired some of the most compelling movies this year","url":"https://time.com/4626310/awards-season-books/","keywords":["Books","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt91cf0f1c30337f94/6988b4a286f68e85b06e3150/books-turned-movies.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Liz Steelman / Real Simple"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt91cf0f1c30337f94/6988b4a286f68e85b06e3150/books-turned-movies.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"books-turned-movies","caption":"","creditText":"Amazon(2)","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/books/","name":"Books"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4626310/awards-season-books/","name":"5 Books to Read Before Awards Season"}}]}] ```