1939Pulitzer 1940
The Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck · 1902–1968 · United States
Why it matters
The Joad family is driven off its Dust Bowl land toward a California that betrays them. Steinbeck gave the Depression's dispossessed an Old Testament grandeur: the great American novel of migration and dignity.
At a glance
epicfamily sagapolitical novel
Difficulty 5/10medium pace464 pagesInterchapters shift registers, but the core narrative reads in clear realist prose.
Deep dive
Steinbeck keeps interrupting the Joads' story to zoom out to the whole country — and the interruptions turn out to be the argument.
Where to go next
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