Reviews
Scott Martelle, Los Angeles Times, August 31, 2008 In these current times of bubbles and bursts, foreclosed-upon homes and entire industries confronting their own mortality, it's good to have a fresh history such as this to remind us of what has gone on before, and to assure that the times will indeed change--eventually.... The Central Valleys of the 1930s ... for many people have been reduced to emblematic photos... Wartzman puts some life on those images... A skillfully drawn reminder of the human toll of deep poverty, intolerance and the unfettered whims of those who control the purse strings. Metro Newspaper, September 24, 2008 An important and illuminating new book. Salinas Californian, October 4, 2008 A fast-paced narrative.... Enlightening and well worth reading. Columbia Journalism Review, November/December 2008 issue Obscene in the Extreme is much more than a conventional book-banning saga. It richly chronicles one of the epic tales of the 1930s, the struggle between left and right, hired hands and big farmers, migrant Okies and natives, in the towns and fields of California.... Unfailingly fair to all, Wartzman brings to life a rich cast, ranging from the radical journalist Carey McWilliams to the farm works chosen by his employers to burn a copy of The Grapes of Wrath on the streets. Minneapolis Star-Tribune, November 30, 2008 With a novelist's skill and journalist's acumen, Wartzman uses the incident [of the book ban] as a springboard to explore the context of those turbulent times, the personalities and motivations of those involved and the notion of censorship as a political weapon. Boston Globe, December 2, 2008 Well-researched, readable.... It's a cautionary tale, particularly relevant in light of the vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who once allegedly asked the librarian in her own small town of Wasilla, Alaska, whether censorship was all righ
Scott Martelle, Los Angeles Times, August 31, 2008 In these current times of bubbles and bursts, foreclosed-upon homes and entire industries confronting their own mortality, it's good to have a fresh history such as this to remind us of what has gone on before, and to assure that the times will indeed change--eventually.... The Central Valleys of the 1930s ... for many people have been reduced to emblematic photos... Wartzman puts some life on those images... A skillfully drawn reminder of the human toll of deep poverty, intolerance and the unfettered whims of those who control the purse strings. Metro Newspaper, September 24, 2008 An important and illuminating new book. Salinas Californian, October 4, 2008 A fast-paced narrative.... Enlightening and well worth reading. Scott Martelle, Los Angeles Times, August 31, 2008 In these current times of bubbles and bursts, foreclosed-upon homes and entire industries confronting their own mortality, it's good to have a fresh history such as this to remind us of what has gone on before, and to assure that the times will indeed change--eventually.... The Central Valleys of the 1930s ... for many people have been reduced to emblematic photos... Wartzman puts some life on those images... A skillfully drawn reminder of the human toll of deep poverty, intolerance and the unfettered whims of those who control the purse strings. Metro Newspaper, September 24, 2008 An important and illuminating new book. Salinas Californian, October 4, 2008 A fast-paced narrative.... Enlightening and well worth reading. Columbia Journalism Review, November/December 2008 issue Obscene in the Extreme is much more than a conventional book-banning saga. It richly chronicles one of the epic tales of the 1930s, the struggle between left and right, hired hands and big farmers, migrant Okies and natives, in the towns and fields of California.... Unfailingly fair to all, Wartzman brings to life a rich cast, ranging from the radical journalist Carey McWilliams to the farm works chosen by his employers to burn a copy of The Grapes of Wrath on the streets. Minneapolis Star-Tribune, November 30, 2008 With a novelist's skill and journalist's acumen, Wartzman uses the incident [of the book ban] as a springboard to explore the context of those turbulent times, the personalities and motivations of those involved and the notion of censorship as a political weapon. Boston Globe, December 2, 2008 Well-researched, readable.... It's a cautionary tale, particularly relevant in light of the vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who once allegedly asked the librarian in her own small town of Wasilla, Alaska, whether censorship was all righ Tucson Citizen, September 9, 2008 Highly readable...meticulously researched, well crafted and rich in historic detail. Booklist, September 15, 2008 This case study of an attempt to censor John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath exposes the wrongheadedness of censorship in a way that more theoretical arguments often fail to do... This is a skillfully written, passionate book... Wartzman has really done his homework, and he tells the story dramatically, using character and dialogue to propel the narrative. Bakersfield Californian, September 7, 2008 A must-read . . . compelling and well-researched. Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 7, 2008 Lively . . . a snapshot of a fascinating moment in national history . . . commendable in its fairness. . . .Wartzman deserves our thanks. Mother Jones, September/October, 2008 [An] engaging look at the long-forgotten campaign to quash a modern classic.... A lively account The Oregonian, September 3, 2008 Wartzman, the co-author of the excellent The King of California: J.G. Boswell and the Making of a Secret American Empire, has written another fascinating piece of California history. Mother Jones, September/October 2008 [An] engaging look at the long-forgotten campaign to quash a modern classic.... A live account Susan Straight, author of A Million Nightingales Rick Wartzman has made a dramatic and tension-filled narrative out of the story of how The Grapes of Wrath was banned in Kern County, and he has given us a chapter of our history many might not know. His new book is invaluable and exciting. B>Susan Straight, author of A Million Nightingales Rick Wartzman has made a dramatic and tension-filled narrative out of the story of how The Grapes of Wrath was banned in Kern County, and he has given us a chapter of our history many might not know. His new book is invaluable and exciting. Anthony Lewis, former New York Times columnist and author of Freedom for the Thought That We Hate: A Biography of the First Amendment Rick Wartzman gives us a dramatic glimpse of a dark American past, where John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath is burned as obscene and farm workers are prosecuted as communists for trying to form a union. It was only 1939. Are the seeds of hate dead?
Steinbeck's now-classic populist epic did not please everyone in 1939.In the San Joaquin Valley, blisteringly depicted in The Grapes of Wrath as callously hostile to the Joad family and other Dust Bowl refugees, public officials voted on Aug. 21 to remove the bestselling book from the county library system; three days later, three incensed farmers publicly burned a copy. Wartzman (co-author: The King of California: J. G. Boswell and the Making of a Secret Empire, 2003) examines many facets of the difficulties the novel encountered and occasioned. He introduces us to a doughty librarian, some angry Kern County supervisors (plus one more liberal and one waffler), growers, farm workers, lawyers, civil libertarians, journalists, filmmakers, musicians, prudes and assorted wackos. Popping up continually is Steinbeck himself, who said little in public about the contretemps; the writer was suffering creative exhaustion in the aftermath of completing his massive book. Wartzman places the controversy in broad context. We see the effects of the Great Depression, the looming threat of World War II and the fear that communism pervaded labor unions and was corrupting the working class. The narrative follows the broad chronology of the events, but within each chapter the author casts a wide cultural and historical net. We get a bit of the history of California, of the San Joaquin Valley and of the efforts to organize farm workers. We learn about Steinbeck's previous work, his preparations to write the novel, the making of John Ford's 1940 film and the rescinding of the Kern County library ban in 1941. Wartzman sprinkles relevant quotations from Grapes throughout.Generously illustrated and briskly written - a valuable guide to an explosive aspect of the free-speech issue. (Kirkus Reviews)
Scott Martelle, Los Angeles Times, August 31, 2008<br> In these current times of bubbles and bursts, foreclosed-upon homes and entire industries confronting their own mortality, it's good to have a fresh history such as this to remind us of what has gone on before, and to assure that the times will indeed change--eventually.... The Central Valleys of the 1930s ... for many people have been reduced to emblematic photos... Wartzman puts some life on those images... A skillfully drawn reminder of the human toll of deep poverty, intolerance and the unfettered whims of those who control the purse strings. <br><p><br> Metro Newspaper, September 24, 2008<br> An important and illuminating new book. <br><p> <br> Salinas Californian, October 4, 2008<br> A fast-paced narrative.... Enlightening and well worth reading. <br><p><br> Columbia Journalism Review, November/December 2008 issue<br> Obscene in the Extreme is much more than a conventional book-banning saga. It richly chronicles one of the epic tales of the 1930s, the struggle between left and right, hired hands and big farmers, migrant Okies and natives, in the towns and fields of California.... Unfailingly fair to all, Wartzman brings to life a rich cast, ranging from the radical journalist Carey McWilliams to the farm works chosen by his employers to burn a copy of The Grapes of Wrath on the streets. <br><p><br> Minneapolis Star-Tribune, November 30, 2008<br> With a novelist's skill and journalist's acumen, Wartzman uses the incident [of the book ban] as a springboard to explore the context of those turbulent times, the personalities and motivations of those involved and the notion of censorship as a political weapon. <br><p><br> Boston Globe, December 2, 2008<br> Well-researched, readable.... It's a cautionary tale, particularly relevant in light of the vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who once allegedly asked the librarian in her own small town of Wasilla, Alaska, whether censorship was all righ
Scott Martelle, Los Angeles Times, August 31, 2008 In these current times of bubbles and bursts, foreclosed-upon homes and entire industries confronting their own mortality, it's good to have a fresh history such as this to remind us of what has gone on before, and to assure that the times will indeed change--eventually.... The Central Valleys of the 1930s ... for many people have been reduced to emblematic photos... Wartzman puts some life on those images... A skillfully drawn reminder of the human toll of deep poverty, intolerance and the unfettered whims of those who control the purse strings. Metro Newspaper, September 24, 2008 An important and illuminating new book. Salinas Californian, October 4, 2008 A fast-paced narrative.... Enlightening and well worth reading. Scott Martelle, Los Angeles Times, August 31, 2008 In these current times of bubbles and bursts, foreclosed-upon homes and entire industries confronting their own mortality, it's good to have a fresh history such as this to remind us of what has gone on before, and to assure that the times will indeed change--eventually.... The Central Valleys of the 1930s ... for many people have been reduced to emblematic photos... Wartzman puts some life on those images... A skillfully drawn reminder of the human toll of deep poverty, intolerance and the unfettered whims of those who control the purse strings. Metro Newspaper, September 24, 2008 An important and illuminating new book. Salinas Californian, October 4, 2008 A fast-paced narrative.... Enlightening and well worth reading. Columbia Journalism Review, November/December 2008 issue Obscene in the Extreme is much more than a conventional book-banning saga. It richly chronicles one of the epic tales of the 1930s, the struggle between left and right, hired hands and big farmers, migrant Okies and natives, in the towns and fields of California.... Unfailingly fair to all, Wartzman brings to life a rich cast, ranging from the radical journalist Carey McWilliams to the farm works chosen by his employers to burn a copy of The Grapes of Wrath on the streets. Minneapolis Star-Tribune, November 30, 2008 With a novelist's skill and journalist's acumen, Wartzman uses the incident [of the book ban] as a springboard to explore the context of those turbulent times, the personalities and motivations of those involved and the notion of censorship as a political weapon. Boston Globe, December 2, 2008 Well-researched, readable.... It's a cautionary tale, particularly relevant in light of the vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who once allegedly asked the librarian in her own small town of Wasilla, Alaska, whether censorship was all righ Tucson Citizen, September 9, 2008 Highly readable...meticulously researched, well crafted and rich in historic detail. Booklist, September 15, 2008 This case study of an attempt to censor John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath exposes the wrongheadedness of censorship in a way that more theoretical arguments often fail to do... This is a skillfully written, passionate book... Wartzman has really done his homework, and he tells the story dramatically, using character and dialogue to propel the narrative. The Oregonian, September 3, 2008 Wartzman, the co-author of the excellent The King of California: J.G. Boswell and the Making of a Secret American Empire, has written another fascinating piece of California history. Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 7, 2008 Lively . . . a snapshot of a fascinating moment in national history . . . commendable in its fairness. . . .Wartzman deserves our thanks. Mother Jones, September/October, 2008 [An] engaging look at the long-forgotten campaign to quash a modern classic.... A lively account Bakersfield Californian, September 7, 2008 A must-read . . . compelling and well-researched. Susan Straight, author of A Million Nightingales Rick Wartzman has made a dramatic and tension-filled narrative out of the story of how The Grapes of Wrath was banned in Kern County, and he has given us a chapter of our history many might not know. His new book is invaluable and exciting. Mother Jones, September/October 2008 [An] engaging look at the long-forgotten campaign to quash a modern classic.... A live account B>Susan Straight, author of A Million Nightingales Rick Wartzman has made a dramatic and tension-filled narrative out of the story of how The Grapes of Wrath was banned in Kern County, and he has given us a chapter of our history many might not know. His new book is invaluable and exciting. Anthony Lewis, former New York Times columnist and author of Freedom for the Thought That We Hate: A Biography of the First Amendment Rick Wartzman gives us a dramatic glimpse of a dark American past, where John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath is burned as obscene and farm workers are prosecuted as communists for trying to form a union. It was only 1939. Are the seeds of hate dead?
Scott Martelle, Los Angeles Times, August 31, 2008<br> In these current times of bubbles and bursts, foreclosed-upon homes and entire industries confronting their own mortality, it's good to have a fresh history such as this to remind us of what has gone on before, and to assure that the times will indeed change--eventually.... The Central Valleys of the 1930s ... for many people have been reduced to emblematic photos... Wartzman puts some life on those images... A skillfully drawn reminder of the human toll of deep poverty, intolerance and the unfettered whims of those who control the purse strings. <br> <p><br> Metro Newspaper, September 24, 2008<br> An important and illuminating new book. <br> <p> <br> Salinas Californian, October 4, 2008<br> A fast-paced narrative.... Enlightening and well worth reading. <br> <p><br> Columbia Journalism Review, November/December 2008 issue<br> Obscene in the Extreme is much more than a conventional book-banning saga. It richly chronicles one of the epic tales of the 1930s, the struggle between left and right, hired hands and big farmers, migrant Okies and natives, in the towns and fields of California.... Unfailingly fair to all, Wartzman brings to life a rich cast, ranging from the radical journalist Carey McWilliams to the farm works chosen by his employers to burn a copy of The Grapes of Wrath on the streets. <br> <p><br> Minneapolis Star-Tribune, November 30, 2008<br> With a novelist's skill and journalist's acumen, Wartzman uses the incident [of the book ban] as a springboard to explore the context of those turbulent times, the personalities and motivations of those involved and the notion of censorship as a politicalweapon. <br> <p><br> Boston Globe, December 2, 2008<br> Well-researched, readable.... It's a cautionary tale, particularly relevant in light of the vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who once allegedly asked the librarian in her own small town of Wasilla, Alaska, whether censorship was all right.
Anthony Lewis, former New York Times columnist and author of Freedom for the Thought That We Hate: A Biography of the First Amendment Rick Wartzman gives us a dramatic glimpse of a dark American past, where John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath is burned as obscene and farm workers are prosecuted as communists for trying to form a union. It was only 1939. Are the seeds of hate dead? B>Susan Straight, author of A Million Nightingales Rick Wartzman has made a dramatic and tension-filled narrative out of the story of how The Grapes of Wrath was banned in Kern County, and he has given us a chapter of our history many might not know. His new book is invaluable and exciting. Susan Straight, author of A Million Nightingales Rick Wartzman has made a dramatic and tension-filled narrative out of the story of how The Grapes of Wrath was banned in Kern County, and he has given us a chapter of our history many might not know. His new book is invaluable and exciting. Mother Jones, September/October 2008 [An] engaging look at the long-forgotten campaign to quash a modern classic.... A live account Mother Jones, September/October, 2008 [An] engaging look at the long-forgotten campaign to quash a modern classic.... A lively account The Oregonian, September 3, 2008 Wartzman, the co-author of the excellent The King of California: J.G. Boswell and the Making of a Secret American Empire, has written another fascinating piece of California history. Bakersfield Californian, September 7, 2008 A must-read . . . compelling and well-researched. Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 7, 2008 Lively . . . a snapshot of a fascinating moment in national history . . . commendable in its fairness. . . .Wartzman deserves our thanks. Tucson Citizen, September 9, 2008 Highly readable...meticulously researched, well crafted and rich in historic detail. Booklist, September 15, 2008 This case study of an attempt to censor John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath exposes the wrongheadedness of censorship in a way that more theoretical arguments often fail to do... This is a skillfully written, passionate book... Wartzman has really done his homework, and he tells the story dramatically, using character and dialogue to propel the narrative. Scott Martelle, Los Angeles Times, August 31, 2008 In these current times of bubbles and bursts, foreclosed-upon homes and entire industries confronting their own mortality, it's good to have a fresh history such as this to remind us of what has gone on before, and to assure that the times will indeed change--eventually.... The Central Valleys of the 1930s ... for many people have been reduced to emblematic photos... Wartzman puts some life on those images... A skillfully drawn reminder of the human toll of deep poverty, intolerance and the unfettered whims of those who control the purse strings. Metro Newspaper, September 24, 2008 An important and illuminating new book. Salinas Californian, October 4, 2008 A fast-paced narrative.... Enlightening and well worth reading. Columbia Journalism Review, November/December 2008 issue Obscene in the Extreme is much more than a conventional book-banning saga. It richly chronicles one of the epic tales of the 1930s, the struggle between left and right, hired hands and big farmers, migrant Okies and natives, in the towns and fields of California.... Unfailingly fair to all, Wartzman brings to life a rich cast, ranging from the radical journalist Carey McWilliams to the farm works chosen by his employers to burn a copy of The Grapes of Wrath on the streets. Minneapolis Star-Tribune, November 30, 2008 With a novelist's skill and journalist's acumen, Wartzman uses the incident [of the book ban] as a springboard to explore the context of those turbulent times, the personalities and motivations of those involved and the notion of censorship as a political weapon. Boston Globe, December 2, 2008 Well-researched, readable.... It's a cautionary tale, particularly relevant in light of the vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who once allegedly asked the librarian in her own small town of Wasilla, Alaska, whether censorship was all righ Scott Martelle, Los Angeles Times, August 31, 2008 In these current times of bubbles and bursts, foreclosed-upon homes and entire industries confronting their own mortality, it's good to have a fresh history such as this to remind us of what has gone on before, and to assure that the times will indeed change--eventually.... The Central Valleys of the 1930s ... for many people have been reduced to emblematic photos... Wartzman puts some life on those images... A skillfully drawn reminder of the human toll of deep poverty, intolerance and the unfettered whims of those who control the purse strings. Metro Newspaper, September 24, 2008 An important and illuminating new book. Salinas Californian, October 4, 2008 A fast-paced narrative.... Enlightening and well worth reading.
