Customer Reviews

John Steinbeck: The Grapes of Wrath and Other Writings 1936-1941: The Grapes of Wrath, The Harvest Gypsies, The Long Valley, The Log from the Sea of Cortez (Library of America)

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Political statements are always dangerous: one either completely convinces a reader of one's argument or forever alienates them. And, unfortunately, the end result is rarely dependent upon the quality or force of argument made by the author, but rather entirely dependent upon the notions with which the reader entered the "discussion".

Knowing this, it seems that one has to be of a particular mindset in order to enjoy the novels collected in "The Grapes of Wrath and Other Writings 1938-1941". The novels of this compilation attack many of the ideals upon which this country was founded -- and they do so by looking closely at those who have never really benefited from those ideals. This attack is carried out most effectively in the most prominent of the packaged novels: Steinbeck's classic "The Grapes of Wrath."

At an abstract level, this particular novel is an impassioned plea for change ... one that left many readers at the time of its publication both angry and frightened, and resulted in the book being placed on many academic "Banned" lists, and caused Steinbeck himself to be branded by some as anti-American.

That said, it is my opinion that "The Grapes of Wrath" is one of the best novels ever written, because it tells the story of those most affected by the Great Depression - those who never had much in the first place. In particular, it focuses on the Joad family as they are forced to relocate to California, to try to find enough work to put food on the table. Along with thousands of other displaced sharecroppers they are lured by colorful handbills advertising great jobs for all. California becomes Mecca to the families, many of whom have literally been forced out of their homes. Desperate, the families sell all of their belongings, buy cheap cars, and begin the arduous journey. Many do not make it, and those who do find to their dismay that all is not as promised.

This is an extremely powerful novel. The reader comes to know the members of the Joad family and their friends as people, not just as characters in a story. We are able to identify with them as they suffer hardship after hardship. Written in an accessible style, and spellbinding throughout, this novel is certainly a deserving classic, and it dominates this excellent new collection of Steinbeck's fiction.

I, like many, first read this _The Grapes of Wrath_ in high school. Then, it piqued a great curiosity about recent (this century) American history that my teachers could never satisfy. A recent re-reading, however, has shown me the great depth that I missed the first time. Read it slowly, savor the dogged, determined hopelessness that was life for many of our immediate ancestors. From the sad beginning to the desperate ending, it will teach you, and reach you.

This volume is just as good as all the other Steinbeck volumes within the Library of America series -which is to say that this collection of stories and novels is second to none. Steinbeck was a force and the guy will change your life. Read this and people will actually smell you becoming smarter.

It is surely a shame that Mr. Steinbeck forever will be confined to the archipelago of socio-economico-political literature. Too often a smug reviewer writes of Steinbeck's "moving" portrayal of the Joad family and their struggle against a growing America. "Oh, how I can 'identify' with the Preacher!" HUMBUG. Mr. Steinbeck wrote words, not ideas. His art is exquisite and melodious and stock-full of imagery. His structure, even in the volumunious Grapes, is compact and economical. His style, even in the scientific Log, is artistic and exact. And his ideas, even in the idea-ed Harvest, are irrelevant. Buy this book. But don't buy it because the blurb on the back says something about the Joads being an American archetype of the twentieth century; instead, buy it because it is literature - American literature - at its finest. Every sentence. Every word.

This is classic literature from one of America's great writers. In high school I was required to read The Grapes of Wrath for my literature class. At the time I liked the novel but did not really appreciate how timeless and what an epic it was.

Recently my family and I bought a cattle ranch in far west Oklahoma and I was introduced to what happened in the Dust Bowl depression time.I had to buy this book and read again about the Great Depression and families moving from the dust bowl in an attempt to find a better life. The Grapes of wrath is a fictitious story but the master genius writer John Steinbeck uses many many actual facts and events that really happened in the depression.

His writing style is so richly descriptive and thought provoking Steinbeck eventually received a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962. John Steinbeck a true American writing genius. Shortly after The Grapes of Wrath was published many schools and colleges banned it as being too controversial and creating too strong emotions and being un american.

We see families out of work during the depression and starving. Banks are taking their homes and farms because they cant make the payments. Its affecting tens of millions of people. Catastrophic. We do see some of the good things in people doing what little sharing and charity they can. However there is much evil in the hearts of many man and women. Hundreds of thousands of agriculture advertisements are given out to people in the Dust Bowl states to come to California (the land of milk and honey) to get picking produce work in the fields. Poor farming techniques by farmers have left the land without nutrients and unable to hold the valuable topsoil in the Midwest states. The wind just blows the topsoil away and a barren non producing dust bowl is left. Millions flee to California to try to get work in the fields. Its a total rip off. The big ag companies just wanted unlimited cheapest labor. These people are starving and the big ag companies say Ill pay you 20cents/hr to pick. Competition pickers said Ill pick for 10cents/hour. Some said 5 cents per hour etc. etc. Then the big farmers only kept the best pickers that could pick the most and paid them the least. This was all a sham to get the cheapest labor. Then there is the ultimate horror. There are tons and tons of produce grown that the big ag companies can not sell at a profit. They deliberately throw kerosene on mountains of perfectly good food and light it. Starving desperate families watch this. People are left to starve.

After reading this book one thinks maybe another Great Depression could happen. We may be skating financially on very thin ice in this country. Try to prepare a little just in case the unthinkable happens again.

This story is about change and man eventually doing better for his fellow man. Its a powerful story that really gets you thinking about what people are capable of for good and for evil.

The other stories in this collection are excellent too but The Grapes of Wrath is the one everyone remembers and will be a classic forever. Now I know why it was required reading in high school literature 40 years ago. INMO every family library should have at least 10 pieces of classic literature. This John Steinbeck collection is one of them. 5 star

grapes of wrath is a great book. it is about a family that goes through ups and downs every chapter. and a man who wats to get his family back on track, cause his father lost his farm land in Oklahoma. So they head to California to find new jobs but there new jobs arn't the same as having there own land, cause when they had there own land they had no boss but when they head to Cali. they are not happy cause they are bossed around.