Grapes of Wrath

Great book. Pretty depressing throughout but he is such a fantastic writer you love every minute of it.

Reading does not really get much better than this.

Incredibly moving, astutue social commnetary without moralising or preaching, this is a book that stays with you long after you finsih it. It's as much about the struggle to keep simple human dignity when everything else is stripped away from you and that is all you have. Stienbeck keeps himself in the background,makes no comments on the situation, just allows the story to unfold with excruiating honesty.

Steinbeck. Read absolutely everything you can by him except the short stories which are drivel. If you can't face the door step which is Grapes.. or East of Eden, start with Cannery Row. Steinbeck manages to convey everything there is to say about hope and the dignity of the human spirit. Some of Grapes can be relentlessly grim, but if you want a smile or two stay a couple of country miles away from his truly dreadful comic novel about the court of King Pippin or whatever it is (abandoned after a hundred stomach churning pages) and check out the series of books that revolve around the character of Doc. The frog hunts are particularly enjoyable. So is his house burning down for that matter. Once you have read them, treat yourself and go to the Salinas Valley area of California and see where it all takes place.

This is one of the all time classics. The 'dustbowl revolution' that shaped the West is documented in such heart rending style that once read it will remain with you forever. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

It's a big read but well worth it. Steinbeck isn't pro union nor pro capitolist farm owners - he writes from the point of view of the people stuck in a situation that they need to get through.