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A review by ovenbird_reads
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
5.0
Mind. Blown.
I often avoid "the classics." After being forced to read so many books that were developmentally irrelevant as a teenager in highschool I have often given the classics a pass. But this book came up in the writing of a few authors I deeply admire so I thought I would give it a try. I was completely transfixed. The Grapes of Wrath is, of course, about the Dust Bowl, but it could so easily apply to our own times with the great unrest in the American south, environmental refugees beginning to shift over the globe, and political refugees pouring over the borders. There was so much in this story that could be about problematic race relations today and resonates with the intense protectionist measures being touted by Trump.
The deep relevance of this book makes me sad to some degree. People are suffering in similar ways now and it seems that we have not evolved much socially when it comes to helping the downtrodden. There is still hatred and fear of "the other" and huge communities of people who have been forced from their homes for a variety of upsetting reasons.
But the extraordinary, flawed, loyal, and persistent humanity at the core of this book provides an ongoing thread of hope that might be visible even now. These characters are exquisite. Perfect in their deep imperfection.
And Steinbeck writes with a masterful style and rhythm. From a purely formal level this book sings, and stamps its feet on the ground in time to the slow march of migrants and the repetitive motion of picking peaches, picking cotton. There is so much poetry to be found in these pages. I'm so grateful I took on the 600+ pages of this book. It was absolutely worth the investment and will go on my "to re-read" list. Can't believe I missed this one for so long.
I often avoid "the classics." After being forced to read so many books that were developmentally irrelevant as a teenager in highschool I have often given the classics a pass. But this book came up in the writing of a few authors I deeply admire so I thought I would give it a try. I was completely transfixed. The Grapes of Wrath is, of course, about the Dust Bowl, but it could so easily apply to our own times with the great unrest in the American south, environmental refugees beginning to shift over the globe, and political refugees pouring over the borders. There was so much in this story that could be about problematic race relations today and resonates with the intense protectionist measures being touted by Trump.
The deep relevance of this book makes me sad to some degree. People are suffering in similar ways now and it seems that we have not evolved much socially when it comes to helping the downtrodden. There is still hatred and fear of "the other" and huge communities of people who have been forced from their homes for a variety of upsetting reasons.
But the extraordinary, flawed, loyal, and persistent humanity at the core of this book provides an ongoing thread of hope that might be visible even now. These characters are exquisite. Perfect in their deep imperfection.
And Steinbeck writes with a masterful style and rhythm. From a purely formal level this book sings, and stamps its feet on the ground in time to the slow march of migrants and the repetitive motion of picking peaches, picking cotton. There is so much poetry to be found in these pages. I'm so grateful I took on the 600+ pages of this book. It was absolutely worth the investment and will go on my "to re-read" list. Can't believe I missed this one for so long.