DreamWorks has secured the screen right to the upcoming nonfiction book Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek, Deadline reports. Set for publication next April, the tome is the result of an eighth-grade journal kept by the now-15-year-old Amy B. Harris, who decided to live her school year based on the advice given in the 1951 self-help book “Betty Cornells Glamour Guide For Teens.”
Harris presents her thesis for the project in the book intro:
And so, I embark my grand experiment. Every month of this school year I will follow Betty Cornells advice on the topics in her book: dieting, hair, makeup, posture, and attitude, among others no matter how embarrassing or difficult.
I definitely have my work cut out for me. That is if Im not already beyond help. I am 52 with light brown skin that breaks out in acne on a regular basis. I am gawky, slouchy, and just a little bit lumpy. I have non-existent hips and a chest almost as flat as the cover of Betty Cornells book. I wear glasses and braces. I do all my clothes shopping at Walmart and second-hand stores. I spend more time on algebra than I do on my hair.
Maybe things will change. Can popularity advice from more than half a century ago still be relevant? Ill find out. Crazier things have happened, right? Men have walked on the moon and society has found a way to grow square watermelons.
Betty Cornell has become my new soul mate, and I am married to her every word. For better or worse.”
Amy B. Harris (“Sex and the City,” “The Carrie Diaries”) will adapt the screenplay with Andrew Lazar and Kristie Macosko producing.
