Amanda Crawford guest reviews  The Grapes of Wrath

by John Steinbeck

Long before Hunter S. Thompson popularised Gonzo journalism, writers have been living with their subjects to better understand their lives. While Thompson's experiences were no doubt more fun (and involved more drugs) than John Steinbeck's, it was Steinbeck's time on the road with a family of dispossessed farmers in the 1930s that allowed him to write his greatest novel, The Grapes of Wrath. Written in six months in 1938, The Grapes of Wrath follows the twelve-member Joad family as they travel west along Highway 66 from Oklahoma to California. They're attempting to escape the devastation of the drought that hit Oklahoma in the 1930s, so with dreams of fertile soil and endless work they head west with almost nothing but their last few dollars and each other.... Read More