Dreamworks has officially secured the film rights to the upcoming nonfiction novel, “Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek.” The book is set to hit shelves next April and 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 Cornell’s 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 Cornell’s 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 I’m not already beyond help. I am 5’2” 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 Cornell’s 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? I’ll 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, previously worked on”Sex and the City,” and “The Carrie Diaries,” will adapt the screenplay with Andrew Lazar and Kristie Macosko producing.
