Coming Soon!
Just Read
The Book
A Critique of Character Debasement and Evisceration of Meaning
in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings Film Trilogy.
Have you recently watched—or re-watched—the Peter Jackson
The Lord of the Rings films?
Had you read the book first, or did you discover Tolkien through the films?
Just Read the Book is the first book-length critique of Peter Jackson’s popular film adaptation of Tolkien’s perennial best-seller. Combining scholarly rigor with lively personal interpretation, it draws upon the work of Tolkien scholars while offering fresh insights from a lifelong Tolkien lover and passionate advocate of reading.
Just Read the Book challenges the claim, made by many reviewers and fans, that the films are a worthy adaptation “in the spirit” of Tolkien.
Available September 2026
This book will be available starting in September 2026 through this website and by ordering from [email protected]
MEET THE AUTHOR
Sara Ciborski has a BA in English from Smith College and a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from the State University of New York, University at Albany.
After two years teaching as an adjunct professor, she worked as a researcher and writer in the field of nonprofit fundraising and development. She has published a research monograph on Waldorf Education assessment methods (Academica Press, 2015) and numerous book reviews and articles for being human, the journal of the Anthroposophical Society in America.
Recently retired, Sara lives in southern New Hampshire and write on topics inspired by a lifelong love of reading.
INSIDE THE BOOK
Contents
Preface
Why a Critique Now?
Chapter One
Book-to-Film Adaptations: Questions Arising
Chapter Two
“It was just as I imagined!”–Explaining Positive Reviews
Chapter Three
Aragorn: Epic Hero vs. Conflicted Loser
Chapter Four
Frodo: Omissions + Distortion = Debasement
Chapter Five
Stature and Leadership: Gandalf’s Diminished Role
Chapter Six
Faramir’s Falsification
Chapter Seven
Other Characters: Caricature and Misrepresentation
Chapter Eight
Narrative Confusion and Other Critical Perspectives
Chapter Nine
Could It Have Been Better?
Afterword
The World Needs Readers (of Good Books)
Acknowledgments
Works Cited
“Despite the passing of over 25 years since their release, I believe a critique of the films is as timely and relevant today as ever, because people interested in Tolkien continue to be faced with the choice of whether to read the book, which endures as a best-seller, or watch the films, which are readily available with streaming.”
— Sara Ciborski
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