The Grapes of Wrath

Never have I had as much reviewing a book as I did with The Grapes of Wrath this week.  I researched the sh heck out of this book.  I read it.  I read another book about why it was banned.  This book was banned for several reasons.  The economic reasons created the most controversy but there is some language and the ending upset; possibly shocked many people.  I watched the movie.  I watched the movie again with commentary by one professor who  specialized in the author, John Steinbeck and another professor who specialized in the director, John Ford.  This story was made into an opera and I checked that out of the library and although I didn't listen to the entire opera, I did find out that the ending went even further than the ending in the book.  By the way, this book has one of THE BEST ENDINGS of any book you've ever read.  There is one lady in our group who is very well read and has been in this book club for over 30 years and is in several other book clubs as well.  When she praised the book, the ending of the book, and the writing of the book, she was so enthusiastic I felt a joy bubble up in me.  If I can select a book that impresses her this much, it's a good book.  The beauty of it is the book is part a great human story but it is also a journalistic report on the migrant workers in California in the 1930's.  When you watch the film and the camera enters a migrant camp, that is an actual migrant camp you are seeing and the thin, ragged people on the screen are actual migrants.  I think John Steinbeck was a brave man to write this novel and to stand up to the publishers who wanted to tone it down.  After this book John Steinbeck traveled with a gun for his own protection and he never rented a hotel room without a companion for fear he would be set up on a rape charge.  He was not a popular man in the agricultural community where he was born.  I wish we had more authors who could write such a great novel about social injustices in our society now.  The disparaging talk about "Okies" reminds me of the way some conservatives talk about Muslims now. This novel didn't solve the migrant crisis but it didn't allow all of us to sweep it under the rug.