10 Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novels That Deserve to Be Filmed

The press had a great night at the 88th Academy Awards. Best Picture and Best Screenplay both went to "Spotlight" - a film about The Boston Globe's investigation into the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal. The Boston Globe won a Pulitzer Prize for this investigation.

(Source: kolotv.com)

Last year, the documentary “Citizen Four” also won the award for Best Documentary. These are just two of many journalistic stories that have been adapted into films and received critical acclaim.

After the award-winning 1977 film “All the President’s Men” came to be, there was a surge in film adaptations of journalistic stories. “Spotlight” also faced many obstacles before its release due to its dark subject matter.

Roy J. Harris, author of the book “Pulitzer's Gold” about the history of the Pulitzer Prize, commented: “If a story like this is successfully adapted, the future for other stories is very open.”

Here are 10 Pulitzer Prize-winning stories that Hollywood might consider making into movies.

1. 1921, The Boston Post

In 1921, the Boston Post won a Pulitzer Prize for “the story of a 1920s con artist whose name became a household name.” That was Charles Ponzi, who is considered the father of the pyramid scheme.

2. 1927, Canton Daily News

The Ohio daily won the 1927 Pulitzer Prize for its "courageous, effective, and patriotic" fight to end collusion between city authorities and criminals, a fight that ended tragically with the assassination of the paper's editor, Don R. Mellett.

At the time, Mellett was investigating gang activity in Canton. Knowing this, the criminals murdered Mellett right in front of his wife.

3. 1970, Dispatch News Service

Seymour Hersh's investigative reporting on the Vietnam War and the My Lai massacre won him the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting. Harris said it was the story of a reporter who learned the terrible truth and worked to expose it.

The 2015 documentary “Dateline: Saigon” also revealed a huge difference between the Pentagon’s perspective and that of war correspondents on the Vietnam War.

4. 1979, Point Reyes Light

The California weekly won the Pulitzer Prize for public service for its investigation into Synanon, a rehabilitation facility that had become a cult. The paper's editors, Dave and Cathy Mitchell, brought the story to the paper.

5. 2007, “The Race Beat”

The 2007 Pulitzer Prize winner for history is adapted from Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff's study of the role of journalism in exposing racial segregation in the annexed American South.

According to the Pulitzer Prize organizers, this is the story of how the national press, after decades of ignoring the issue, recognized the importance of the civil rights struggle and turned it into the most remarkable domestic news event of the 20th century.

6. 2008, The Washington Post

The Washington Post's investigation into Walter Reed Hospital is a masterful story. The Pulitzer Prize committee said the investigation exposed the truth about the mistreatment of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed, sparked a public outcry, and led to reforms by federal officials.

The Washington Post journalists received Pulitzer Prizes for their investigative reporting on Walter Reed hospital. (Source: pulitzer.org)

7. 2003, Los Angeles Times

Journalist Sonia Nazario won the Pulitzer Prize for her story about a young boy named Enrique's journey from Honduras to the United States in search of his mother.

Speaking about the challenges of writing the article, Nazario shared: “One of the challenges was how to tell this story with the least risk to myself. I lived with the constant fear of being beaten, robbed and raped for months. I once clung to the roof of a fuel truck through a stormy, lightning-filled night. I was hit by a tree branch and almost fell off the roof of the train. I interviewed a girl who had been gang-raped along the railroad tracks in Ixtepec, Oaxaca, and realized I had been in the same spot alone just the day before. On the Rio Grande, I was worried about encountering “river bandits,” and Mexican police pulled out their guns when they saw me. But none of that compares to what migrants go through on that journey.”

8. 2011, Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times won a Pulitzer Prize for its investigation into corruption in the city of Bell, where officials were skimming public funds to pay themselves sky-high salaries. The reporting led to arrests and reforms.

9. 2013, “Behind the Eternal Beauty: Life, Death and Hope in Mumbai's Underground City”

The above-named book by author Katherine Boo won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction.

The book takes readers to an Indian slum in the shadow of luxury hotels near Mumbai's city airport, revealing a complex subculture where poverty cannot destroy ambition.

10. 2015, The Post and Courier

Charleston’s city newspaper has had a busy year with several big news stories. In 2015, the paper won the Pulitzer Prize for public service for its investigative piece “Till Death Do Us Part,” which explored why the city is a deadly place for women./.

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