In junior high school, when we had to read Of Mice and Men and The Red Pony, I hated reading Steinbeck. In adulthood, I have gained an appreciation for his vision (part Jungian, part social reformer (like Dickens or Victor Hugo)) as well as his writing style.

The Grapes of Wrath was excellent and definitely I can understand why it has stood the test of time. The month of June here where I live was record-breakingly hot and dry, a good time to read about the Dust Bowl. And while our current recession is not as bad as the Great Depression, I felt like I could identify with the Joad’s hard times (not literally, but imaginatively). I read it in one month’s time, and it felt like it read too quickly!