The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Overview

• Published: March 14, 1939
• Author: John Steinbeck
• Focus: The Joad family, poor sharecroppers from Oklahoma
• Context: Set during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression
• Journey: The Joads travel to California in search of better opportunities, along with thousands of other migrants (Okies).

Success and Popularity

• Became a bestseller by May 1939
• Sold nearly 500,000 copies by the end of 1939
• Price: $2.75, making it accessible for many readers
• Impact: Many first-time readers bought the book
• Bookstores sold out; long waiting lists in libraries

Themes and Content

• Vivid depiction of hardships faced by Dust Bowl migrants
• Illustrates the treatment of migrants in California
• Shocking portrayal of poverty and homelessness

Controversy

• Claims of exaggeration regarding the hardships faced by Okies
• Critics argued that such extreme conditions could not exist in America
• California's citizens felt misrepresented in their attitudes towards migrants
• The Associated Farmers of California labeled the book as a "pack of lies"

Political Implications

• Emphasis on cooperative vs. individualistic solutions to economic problems
• Perceived as pro-socialist or pro-communist
• Resulted in bans from many libraries across the country

Public Response

• Calls for denouncement in California before school sessions started
• Debates on national radio
• Public burnings of the book in multiple cities: Buffalo, New York; East St. Louis, Illinois; California communities
• Oklahoma Representative Lyle Boren denounced it in Congress as a vulgar lie

Enduring Legacy

• Eleanor Roosevelt defended the book, helping to quell some backlash
• Won the Pulitzer Prize for a Novel in 1939
• Translated into multiple languages (French, German, Japanese)
• Continues to be discussed and debated, considered a classic of American literature
• Remains banned in many school libraries across the nation.