The Grapes of Wrath

Title: The Grapes of Wrath

Author: John Steinbeck

Pages: 479

Genre: Fiction, Classic, Pulitzer Prize

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The title of the book is pulled form the first verse of the Battle Hymn of the Republic: "He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored." This classic book about the great migration to California was first published in 1939 at the tail end of the Great Depression. The book follows the Joad family as they move from their farm in the dust bowl of Oklahoma to the promised land of California.  Conditions aren't much better in California as they find out that thousands of migrants are in camps and can't find steady work.  Those who can find work are barely working for enough to live on.  If they won't work for these wages, there are always other people who will.

My Review: I loved this book, but be prepared because it can be awfully depressing. At times the descriptive language gets a little flowery, but at the same time the descriptions make it easy to visualize the story as it moves along.