Of Mice and Men (Cliffs Notes) [Paperback]

Susan Van Kirk (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764586769 | ISBN-13: 978-0764586767 | Publication Date: December 21, 2000

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in the series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format.

In CliffsNotes on Of Mice and Men, you'll meet drifters Lennie and George and recount their peculiar difficulties and unusual bond. The CliffsNotes commentaries, summaries, and character analysis will show you why this sweet, sad, and moving American story is considered to be one of Steinbeck's greatest works. You'll also find

• Life and background of the author, John Steinbeck
• A short introduction to the novel
• A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters
• Critical essays
• A review section that tests your knowledge
• A Resource Center with books, Web sites, films, and magazine articles for further study

Classic literature or modern modern-day treasure — you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

More New and Revised Titles. The Best Just Got Better! Plus Glossary from Webster's New World^™ Dictionary Anthem Atlas Shrugged Beowulf Brave New World The Canterbury Tales The Catcher in the Rye The Contender The Crucible The Fountainhead Frankenstein The Grapes of Wrath Great Expectations The Great Gatsby Hamlet Heart of Darkness & The Secret Sharer Huckleberry Finn The Iliad Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Inherit the Wind Jane Eyre Julius Caesar The Killer Angels King Lear The Lord of the Flies Macbeth 1984 The Odyssey Oedipus Trilogy The Once and Future King Othello The Outsiders Pride and Prejudice The Red Badge of Courage Romeo and Juliet The Scarlet Letter A Separate Peace A Tale of Two Cities To Kill a Mockingbird Wuthering Heights See inside for the complete line-up of available CliffsNotes! Check Out the All-New CliffsNotes Guides To AOL^®, iMac^™, eBay^®, Windows^® 98, Investing, Creating Web Pages, and more! More Than Notes! CliffsComplete^™ CliffsTestPrep^™ CliffsQuickReview^™ CliffsAP^™ Over 300 CliffsNotes Available @ cliffsnotes.com Downloadable 24 hours a day Free daily e-mail newsletters Free tips, tricks, and trivia Free online CliffsNotes catalog Free self-assessment tools Freeware and shareware downloads

About the Author

Susan Van Kirk has taught high school English for 31 years in Monmouth, Illinois.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Cliffs Notes (December 21, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764586769
• ISBN-13: 978-0764586767
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.2 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,007 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > United States > History & Criticism
  • #15 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Reference > Education > Book Notes

More About the Author

Susan Van Kirk was born in Galesburg, Illinois, and educated at Knox College (BA) and University of Illinois (M.Ed). During the thirty-four years she taught at Monmouth High School (1968-2002), she also raised three children and then turned them loose.

Once she earned her graduate degree she began writing on a freelance basis and was hired to write CliffsNotes for The Scarlet Letter, All Quiet on the Western Front, My Antonia, The Age of Innocence, The Importance of Being Earnest, Hiroshima, Of Mice and Men, and The Secret Life of Bees. This job came in handy because it helped her determine if her students were using her writing in their book reports.

Her story, "War and Remembrance," was published in Teacher Magazine in March/April 2006.

Following retirement from Monmouth High School, she began teaching at Monmouth College, a four-year, liberal arts school. Currently she divides her time between her home in Monmouth, Illinois, and Phoenix, Arizona, where her children and grandchildren live.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great to have for Quizzes and Tests, October 14, 2011

By 

taxi mom - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Of Mice and Men (Cliffs Notes) (Paperback)

Perfect. A great addition to the book. if you have highschool boys, I highly recommend this. It helps them understand the book and look deeper into the elements of the story. You still have to read the book but it will help you comprehend the little details.

13 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Cliff Notes? Really?, March 7, 2009

By 

Kregg Jorgenson "Writetrak" (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Of Mice and Men (Cliffs Notes) (Paperback)

Come on, people. Steinbeck's book OF MICE AND MEN is only 107 pages long and reads faster than a lobbyist with a bag of money and wish list at a greedy politico's fundraising dinner.
This Cliff Notes book is 80 pages and so 27 more of the original won't be such an inconvenient stretch.This isn't a slam against the Cliff Notes author or what is contained in her book as it is against us as readers.
The original book was written as a play for the ear which also makes it a quick read and you know what? It is one of the true great American tales; not just a 20th century classic but one for all time. So do yourself a favor and save the Cliff Notes for, I dunno, any of the Jane Austin books where when forced to read her I kept hoping for a horse to come along and stomp the English breakfast out of Mister Darcy and put me out of my misery.
I encourage you to go out and buy any edition of Of Mice and Men you can find and sit down and take the time to read it. Afterwards, if you don't find yourself with a lump in your throat then maybe you didn't chew on the words enough to get their full flavor. John Steinbeck was one of the best writer's in the United States. He captured the dire poverty of the Depression, the desperation of those caught up in it, and still showed the importance and hope of humanity. Don't cheat yourself out of an amazing story. But if you have to buy the Cliff Notes for a class assignment you didn't study for, and you get a good grade or at least an appreciation of the story, then come back here to Amazon and give the author, Susan Van Kirk, a good review because I can guarantee that she wouldn't deny the power or value of the original.
Five stars for the author but only one for us as readers.