The book adaptation of the successful Netflix series The Queen's Gambit
Beth Harmon goes to an orphanage at the age of eight. It's not a harmonious environment, and little Beth finds two ways to escape: little green pills that children are given to "calm down", and CHESS. The game she is introduced to by the janitor in the basement of the orphanage engulfs her, and within a few years it becomes clear that Beth isn't just "good enough to be a girl" - she's just good. I mean, the best. Definitely in America. But on her way to the top of the world, Beth must overcome not only the mistrust of those around her, but also her own demons of addiction.
Walter Tevis' gripping story of coming of age, chess, feminism and dangerous habits caused a sensation with its television adaptation on Netflix in. 2020.