Welcome, readers. We are thrilled to continue this new content from the creators of Currently Reading Podcast! This spin-off podcast series will tackle book to screen adaptations in a spoiler-FILLED format. Be sure you’ve read the book and watched the film version before listening to the episode, because we don’t shy away from strong opinions OR from all the spoilers, unlike our regular episodes.

Show notes for this series will not be time-stamped, but will still include links to Bookshop dot org or Amazon for any books or resources referenced in the episode. These are affiliate links, so they kick back a small percentage to us if you buy through them, and help support the work we do on Currently Reading.

 

Erasure by Percival Everett

1:44 - Setup

Erasure by Percival Everett 3:44 - Previews

Release date. Sales info and awards.

2025 Audie Awards

Movie name and release date. Box office and awards.

American Fiction released Dec 2023

Won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2024

7:18 - The Cutting Room

Pivotal Book scenes and how they translated to the screen

The book within the book

Lisa’s death

Changes from Book to Movie

Name changes

Moving the setting from DC to Boston

Timeline issues

Van Go in the book within a book is arrested but in the movie adaptation he dies

Left out of the adaptation

Gretchen storyline

Woodworking and fishing scenes

Game show section

My Pafology being explored

Added to the movie

Sintara added to a book panel at the end

The ending

Publisher

Make Stagg a fugitive so he cannot go on tv

Casting and alternates

Monk: Jeffrey Wright → Geoffrey Owens, Andre Braugher

Lisa: Tracee Ellis Ross → Regina King, Niecy Nash

Agnes: Leslie Uggams → Audra McDonald, Phylicia Rashad, Cecily Tyson

Clifford: Sterling K. Brown →  Idris Elba

Coraline: Erika Alexander → Kim Fields, Kim Coles

Sintara: Issa Rae → Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson

Problematic elements

Because of all the satire, it may focus too much on the white experience and actually less on the Black

40:11 - Award Season

Worst and best parts of the adaptation.

Bill vs Cliff “airtime”

Less tension around mother going to the assisted living home

The moving of books from African American to Mythology

Was very funny - zippy dialogue, continuing to move story forward

Worst and best actors.

Leslie Uggams - Agnes (mother)

Erika Alexander - Coraline

Adam Brody - Wiley

Jeffrey Wright - Monk

Worst and best book characters.

Linda Mallory

Van Go Jenkins

Monk

Yul

48:35 - Book/Flick Energy

Book scored on a 5 star scale.

Book on Goodreads

Series scored on a 10 point scale.

Movie on Rotten Tomatoes

Movie on IMDB

53:23 - A Leftover Popcorn Kernel

Do you have any irrational fears?

If you were on a Jerry Springer type show what is something weird that they may find out about you or your family?

59:30 - End Credits

59:55 - The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks of Being A Wallflower is available to stream for free on some sites, but is available with an Amazon Prime membership

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