The Grapes of Wrath (Pulitzer Prize Winner) by John Steinback
First published in 1939, Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning epic of the Great Depression chronicles the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s and tells the story of one Oklahoma farm family, the Joads-driven from their homestead and forced to travel west to the promised land of California. Out of their trials and their repeated collisions against the hard realities of an America divided into Haves and Have-Nots evolves a drama that is intensely human yet majestic in its scale and moral vision, elemental yet plainspoken, tragic but ultimately stirring in its human dignity. A portrait of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless, of one man's fierce reaction to injustice, and of one woman's stoical strength, the novel captures the horrors of the Great Depression and probes into the very nature of equality and justice in America.
- Suggested age range- 3-5 Years
- Format- Paperback
- Dimensions- 7.7" W x 5" H x 0.9" D
- Genre- Classics
- Publisher- Penguin Publishing Group, Publication date- 03-28-2006
- Page count- 528
- ISBN- 9780143039433
Web ID: 15625345
Book review for average story
Paulo Coelho writes about a young man named Santiago who is a shepherd. He has a dream about finding his personal treasure at the Pyramids in Egypt. He displays courage and determination to find out what this treasure is by selling his sheep and travels to Africa. Along the way he will meet several people who will direct him toward that treasure. The Alchemist is the last person he meets who inspires him to complete his journey. He comes to believe in fate and personal legends. People will either love the simplicity of this story or be bored. One has to read with an open mind. This novel has a theme of if you are trying hard to find something, its usually in front of you.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Well worth reading
I was supposed to read this classic as a senior in high school. Instead, I read the Cliff’s Notes version. Knowing what I know now, I would have read this book on its own. It stands as one of the greatest pieces of fiction in the English language, certainly one of the greatest pieces set in America. Steinbeck rightfully won a Pulitzer Prize for it, and eighty years later, it evokes deep feelings of human dignity. Set in the Depression-era western United States, this story tells of a family who leaves their farm in Oklahoma since the so-called Dust Bowl has trampled opportunities for farmers. They leave for California, which promises a land of plenty and of high wages for migrant workers. The land-of-plenty part turned out to be true, but the economy was caught in the unhealthy effects of a two-class system, filled with oligarchy and collusion. With this economic backdrop, Steinbeck then explores the variegated cultural dynamics surrounding migrant workers in California. Hoovervilles, government camps, and other migrant settings fill their journey. In a dramatic final scene, this family conveys human dignity to strangers despite being universally demeaned in the California economy by greedy landlords. Steinbeck captures it all in this moving classic. He fills every-other chapter with a depersonalized story of the land. This functions to increase the intrigue and heighten the drama. It’s easy to see why this has been called a quintessential American story. It involves many themes that constituted twentieth-century life. While certainly not hopeful, this tale still pulls in sentiments of a deep humanity. In an age where Americans seem at each others’ throats with political strife, this book can remind us of the simple virtue of doing good to our neighbors.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
I'm so so sorry
I am an avid reader, last year I finished over 100 books. I read this book in high school, and I hated it so much. I've tried to reread it a couple times because I am, in general, a fan of Steinbeck. Of Mice in Men is truly one of my favorite books, and I'll never forget Cannery Row. But Lord, for me, this book was as dry as the dust bowl itself. I went so far as to recommend to my old HS English teacher that she trade out this book for The Things They Carried on her syllabus
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Pretty Good
Pretty good. Got better in the second half, though a lot of questions went unanswered. What happened to everybody?
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com