The Red Pony by John Steinbeck.

“No matter how good a man is, there's always some horse can pitch him.” 

For my #15in31 challenge, I decided to start small, with a slim volume by John Steinbeck called The Red Pony. It has been a long time since I've read any Steinbeck, but I went through a phase a couple years ago where I bought a bunch of his titles in hopes of reading his complete works (a goal I still want to accomplish, perhaps when I finish with Cather). In any case, this is a slim little volume about the same size as Of Mice and Men, so I thought it would make a great starting point for my challenge (see this post if you're lost).

Truthfully, I didn't know much about The Red Pony before reading it, which was probably a good thing. When I started, I thought it reminded me of Black Beauty, but that vibe slowly disappeared as I flew through the novella.

I actually don't see The Red Pony as a complete novel/novella. It reads more as 4 related parts loosely connected with similar character names. There is no real connective plotline, just characters who are reintroduced in each of the 4 chapters.

But there is a connective theme. This is definitely a coming of age story, as young Jody Tiflin learns about life on the ranch and the cycle of life and death. He also learns that adults he once thought were infallible aren't, and that you can be disappointed by life.

The characters are all well-defined from the beginning. Jody stars in all of the chapters, as a young boy who is facing the harsh reality of life on a ranch and growing up. His mother is a strong and constant presence in all 4 chapters, as she tries to protect Jody from some harsh realities, while also allowing him the opportunities to grow up when things don't go as planned. Jody's father, Carl, is a tough man with no outward love for his son. He's bogged down by the responsibilities of running a ranch and having a little boy running around. But he does his best to provide and give opportunities to Jody.

Billy Buck was my favorite character, and perhaps the most complex. As the hired hand on the ranch, Billy Buck is also the man with all the old-school knowledge-about horses, life, the weather, etc. Jody idolizes him and respects his opinions as fact, until Billy Buck fails. And while Steinbeck doesn't dwell on the harshness of the realization for Jody or Billy, it lingers in the remaining pages, reminding us that we all had moments where we realized the adults around us can't always fix everything.

It was a short, quick read, but definitely as complex as Steinbeck's other works. It left me thinking and eager to read more Steinbeck...perhaps this month for my challenge. I know I have Cannery Row sitting on my bookshelf, so you might see more Steinbeck coming up soon.

What did you think of The Red Pony? Any other Steinbeck you would recommend? I haven't read a great deal by him, but I'm eager to read more (I think I've only read Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath, The Winter of our Discontent, and The Pearl in addition to this title).

The Pearl by John Steinbeck.

"For it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they want something more. And this is said in disparagement, whereas it is one of the greatest talents the species has and one that has made it superior to animals that are satisfied with what they have."

I am currently teaching a junior/senior elective literature course. So far they have read Kindred by Octavia Butler, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, and The Pearl by John Steinbeck. My seniors are done on Tuesday, so we are in the middle of prepping for their final exam. Since I taught the first three books, I figured I might as well read Steinbeck's novella to help them prepare. Thankfully I had a copy on my shelf, so I dove in the other night, determined to finish (because apparently I can only start books recently, not finish them).

When I told my students I was going to read the book so I could help them prepare better, they all told me, in varying ways, that the book was boring, stupid, and horrible. I was a little surprised, since most of them liked Of Mice and Men, which is part of the curriculum for the tenth grade classes. But, I know that sometimes you can like a book by an author and then hate another work.

I dove in with that in mind, and tried to keep that perspective in mind as I flew through the 90 page book. I think I am becoming more familiar with Steinbeck, but I was a bit taken aback by the tone in the book.

The Pearl is a retelling of a Mexican folktale. The focus is on a couple, Kino and Juana, who are down on their luck and struggling. They find a beautiful pearl worth more money than they can dream of...and their world crumbles apart. The book is very much one of those "moral" books. And I know that is exactly why my high school students hated it.

I personally can't stand books that preach too much, or that shove a lesson down your throat. That doesn't mean I don't seek those things out, because I do, but I don't like the lesson being flashed in front me on every other page. It drives me crazy.

And I can imagine that is what drove my students nuts as well. Steinbeck's tale certainly has an agenda-to remind us all that gaining wealth comes with consequences, and that sometimes if you dream too high, it will all come crashing down. And that message comes through loud and clear. That isn't to say the book is bad. It isn't. It still has the same voice of Steinbeck. There were passages that I absolutely loved, but the overall book didn't do it for me. But, I'll push through with my kids and help them study for the exam as best I can. :)

I've heard that a lot of people don't care for Steinbeck's shorter works. I haven't gotten to any of the big ones, like The Grapes of Wrath or East of Eden, so I can't really weigh in. Let me know where you fall on the Steinbeck fan-scale.

Classics Circuit: The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck (Book 102).

"I wonder how many people I've looked at all my life and never seen."

I am happy to be a stop today for the Steinbeck Classics Circuit! For anyone unfamiliar with the circuit, it is a way for bloggers around the book blogging community to highlight some classic authors and their works! For a period of time, different bloggers will be posting their thoughts on the works they read. There are new posts every day, so I hope you'll head over to the Circuit's blog to check it out!

I was really excited to see that this circuit was going to be for John Steinbeck! I am relatively new to Steinbeck's work, but I have had a couple of really positive experiences. I am well on my way to declaring Steinbeck a favorite for life.

Since I only had two of his novels left on my list, I feel I had an even harder choice. I decided long ago to leave The Grapes of Wrath until nearly the end of my project (mainly because I feel like I am going to LOVE it), so The Winter of Our Discontent was it for me!

I was unsure what to think going in. Truth be told, when I was making my project list nearly two years ago, this novel was placed on the list instead of East of Eden purely because it is my brother-in-law's favorite by Steinbeck. I was hoping Kyle would have great taste. Turns out, he did.

What Steinbeck does so well is capture the heart and spirit of Americans in different locales. I have found this to be true in the two other titles I've read (Travels with Charley and Of Mice and Men). He takes a small community and truly brings it to life. And while the characters in this one aren't necessarily lovable, he makes them realistic. They aren't perfect and their flaws are what drive the novel. I felt for them with every turn of the page.

Ethan Hawley came from a wealthy family, but the family lost their money years before. Rather than being one of the most wealthy and influential families in town, the Hawley family suffers from some humiliation. Ethan works as a store clerk under a foreigner, his kids want what all the other kids have, and his wife seems to just make do with what she has. Ethan seems to struggle with who he is and where he wants to be. He wants money, assuming that having more of it will make his problems go away.

So Ethan makes some phone calls and has some conversations that change his life dramatically. In the end, he gets what he wants. But, as the reader, and being inside Ethan's head, I had to ask myself for him, "was it worth it?" The fact is, Ethan does things to set his life in motion, at the expense of others. He gets what he wants by doing some pretty underhanded and immoral things. How could he possibly enjoy his new lifestyle?

It is an interesting question Steinbeck poses. You can tell that throughout the novel Steinbeck has a very specific purpose in mind-to explore the moral degradation of America and her citizens. We all know that the American dream is to climb as high as you can on your blood, sweat, and tears, but it also comes with a price. Ethan Hawley seems okay with the price he pays (I wouldn't be).

I was reminded a bit of The Great Gatsby when I read this. In Fitzgerald's novel, he also explores the American Dream and the rise to the top. He also shows the fall. Steinbeck and Fitzgerald both show how sometimes to get to the top, things have to be done. People have to be hurt. They both come to different conclusions, but the moral seems the same.

In the beginning, I felt for Ethan. As someone who also works in a pretty crappy job, it is hard to keep your chin up and eyes focused on being okay with your status in life. But, as Ethan began to explore a seedier lifestyle, all similarities stopped. He seemed unfazed in hurting those around them or watching them fall.

You have to wonder, how many people have done the same?

Do they think it was worth it?

Anyway, this was a fast read that kept me on my toes. It also makes me yearn for more Steinbeck, but I'm going to be strong and hold out.

How many of you have read this one? Love it, hate it? What other Steinbeck novels should I read in the future?

Weekly Wrap-up for July 11, 2010: Book Plans and Acquisitions.

It was a decent week after we hit the mid-way point. I fortunately had two of the four days of the heat wave off so I spent them blissfully in bed with the air conditioning working hard. I was grateful I didn't have to go and work (I work outside, so when it gets really hot, it is super nasty). I also feel slightly better, but still tired. Mono is different for everyone and I certainly have the fatigue and muscle aches!

We've been getting ready to go up north tomorrow, which we are both really excited for. We both need a break and it will be wonderful to sit out in the sun (or sleep) and read some wonderful books. Matt is planning on making me go fishing, but he agreed I can just accompany him on the boat and read while he fishes. We'll see though!

On Thursday we might be making a trip up to Mackinaw Island, which is about 45 minutes north of my family's cottage. I haven't been up the island since I was 2 or 3, and since Thursday is my birthday, I wanted to do something fun (I'll be turning 25). There are also some new bookstores in downtown that my aunt was telling me about, so I think we are going to have to do some more book shopping.

I have gotten quite a few books over the last week or so. I got a good chunk for my birthday from my parents and brothers and sister, and some I bought with a gift card another relative gave me. I also just out and purchased one since I am planning on bringing it with me next week.
Here is what I have added to my shelves:

I had asked for 6 or so titles to finish the first two sets in the beautiful Penguins Classics series (the picture shows the full set of three different printings. The third printing is available yet in the U.S.). This made me so excited as I love the vintage feel of this set and I am so glad that I have a bunch of great titles on my shelves. The books I now have are: Emma, The Odyssey, Treasure Island, Lady Chatterley's Lover, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Great Expectations, Wuthering Heights, Sense and Sensibility, Cranford, Tess of d'Urbervilles, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, and The Picture of Dorian Gray. Of those pictures, two of these books are now out of print. Apparently they only printed a limited number and only in the U.K. Those are Madame Bovary and Crime and Punishment. The rest of the collection will be out in September and it includes: The Hound of the Baskervilles, Oliver Twist, The Woman in White, Shakespeare's Sonnets, and Little Women. You can guarantee that I will try and add them to my collection as well!

I also wanted to add another Steinbeck and this title has been hard to find in my local bookstores. For some reason, they carry almost every other Steinbeck but this title!

The Winter of Our Discontent is a favorite of my brother-in-law so I am curious to see if I am going to like it or if I will forever banish Kyle from giving me suggestions. I have already two Steinbeck's for my challenge, Of Mice and Men and Travels with Charley in Search of America. I felt indifferent about Of Mice and Men, but I loved the other. I'm not feeling up to tackling Grapes of Wrath quite yet, but I think this might be a good solution to get a Steinbeck fix. And I have a feeling I am going to like it a lot anyway.

I also was excited that they had the Penguin edition. I love the sleek black look of Penguin Classics and while they cost more than some other editions, they look so pretty on a shelf. Because yes, buying books is all about putting them on display, isn't it?

I thought I had a copy of Virginia Woolf's Orlando somewhere, but when I went looking, I couldn't find it. And since I have been craving some more Woolf (I love the lyrical tone to her writing), I wanted to read this title.

I ended up buying a new copy that matches the others in my Woolf set. I had an older edition that was far less pretty anyway, so this cover is fine with me. But when I got home and checked my list, Orlando wasn't on it! It looks like I won't be reading it to fulfill my 250 titles, but I'm glad I have a new copy anyway. I know I'll get to it eventually since Woolf is a favorite of mine.

I also picked up another Woolf novel, A Room of One's Own. This one I haven't read before, so hopefully I enjoy it. At least this one counts for my challenge! The other novels by Woolf I have to read are Night and Day and To the Lighthouse. I already read and reviewed Mrs. Dalloway about a month or so ago.


I have been in the mood for some wonderful Greek writing, so when I saw this on a display, I grabbed it. The edition of The Odyssey that I love most is Fagles translation. He really knows how to make the story come alive, so I know that I will benefit from his translation of Virgil's The Aeneid. And yes, translation DOES matter.



Sara Douglass is one of my favorite fantasy writers. She is a great world-builder and I am fascinated by what she has created. The Infinity Gate is the third in a trilogy (the other two titles are The Serpent Bride and The Twisted Citadel) that I have been anxiously waiting for. I haven't read any of the books. I always try and wait if I can for a series to be finished before starting it if it is by an author I really love and cherish. That way I can fly through it and be absorbed all at once. All three of the books are making their way up north with me and they will be part of the "fun reading" I am doing up north as part of my glorious vacation time.



My last new buy was the newest book in John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice Series. I love this series more than anything. It is fun and action-packed. And while it is certainly YA, I love every word of it. I bought the 7th book in the series, Erak's Ransom back in January when it came out as well. Both that one and this title will be making their way up north as well. I might even bring the 6th book, The Seige of Mackindaw with me as well.

Anyway, those are my newest additions and if Matt has anything to say about it, they will be the last for a little while. I still have plenty of unread books on my shelves,

And speaking of shelves, Matt couldn't figure out what to get me for my birthday, so we settled on getting another book shelf (yay!) so I can put more of my books on display. I currently have one shelf in our bedroom that houses all of my classics, but I would love to display some of my favorites on another shelf. The rest of my books are in boxes in one of our closets. I own about 1200 books, so you can imagine how when I say the closet is full of books I am not exaggerating. But it will be awesome to have more out and within reach.

Happy Reading everyone!

Book 43: Finished.

I was trying to decide how to write this review. On one hand, I don't feel like I should be ragging on any of these "classics." Maybe it is because I feel like I am not qualified to give my own thoughts and interpretations on books that have been analyzed for years, and years, and years.

But then again, this whole process is for me, and these are my thoughts.

When I closed Of Mice and Men, I sat there for a bit and waited for that feeling. Usually, when I finish a book, some thought will hit me. Maybe is one along the lines of "Wow, that was AMAZING!" Or it could be, "Wow, that was the biggest waste of time ever."

I got nothing when I closed this, just like I did when I read The Stranger by Camus. I felt like I should be feeling something, but nothing was kicking in. Perhaps I am simply missing the point. Or I just didn't connect with the book.

Of course, I could analyze this for you just like an English teacher would, but that would defeat the purpose. I mean, this novel is analyzed all the time in schools across the United States (and I am assuming elsewhere), so what would my stab it amount to? I won't add anything new.

George and Lennie are friends. One is smarter than the other and takes care of the other-protects him. But when he does something to compromise everything, it tests the boundary of that friendship.

It is a pretty universal theme.

Anyway, I am hoping that the next book shows me something more, because I am in desperate need of that next GREAT read.

Book 43: Of Mice and Men and Book Stats.

Title: Of Mice and Men
Author: John Steinbeck (1902-1968)
First Published: 1937

My Edition: Penguin Literature Series
Pages: 107

Other Works Include: The Red Pony (1933), Tortilla Flat (1935), The Grapes of Wrath (1939), The Moon is Down (1942), Cannery Row (1945), The Pearl (1947), East of Eden (1952), Sweet Thursday (1954), The Winter of our Discontent (1961), Travels with Charley (1962)

I have read one other Steinbeck in this process so far. Book 15 was Travels with Charley in Search of America and I really fell in love with it. I will also be reading The Grapes of Wrath and The Winter of our Discontent. These four titles are my first exposure to Steinbeck. I somehow made it through high school and college without reading any of his large pieces of work. I have read snippets before, but never a complete novel.

This novel(la) is commonly taught in schools, and was taught in my own high school. For some reason, I was never in a class that was required to read it. We were given the option in tenth grade to pick the books we were going to read off of a list of required reading. Then in eleventh and twelfth grade, I picked some of the lesser-taken English electives (mystery/sci-fi, Shakespeare, Creative Writing), rather than go for American or British literature.

It is funny how things work out that way.

In any case, I am looking forward to my second go with Mr. Steinbeck, and I am hoping I love it just as much as I loved Travels with Charley. I am also reading this to fulfill the rest of the LOST books challenge, so seeing correlations there with also be a highlight.

Sunday Salon: May 16, 2010.

I finally feel like I have a chance to breathe this weekend! I have been on the go at work for a while and I thankfully am enjoying a 4-day weekend that started yesterday. The break is much needed and I have a lot of plans for what I want and need to accomplish.

We went to a wedding yesterday for a good friend I went to college with. We really are at that age where everyone we know is starting to settle down a bit.

Today I am going to relax with my little sister, bake some goodies, and have a Disney movie marathon. It will be a great time to relax and chill out, and cuddle with the kitties.

Yesterday I made a post giving the details of the Cranford Read-Along. If you haven't already, go and visit (and perhaps sign up) to participate! Later on today, you're going to see the sign-up for Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift if Cranford is not your cup of tea. Either way I hope you will consider reading at least one of these with me.

I went to my library's used book sale on Friday, which I had been looking forward to for weeks. Imagine my disappointment when I went in to find that there were not nearly as many books as in past sales. I made it a point to ask a volunteer if donations were down, but she told me that on Thursday a man and a woman came and loaded up 35 boxes of books. When they were asked about the quantity they were buying, they said they were buying them to sell on Ebay.

I was really upset with this. I understand that the sales are open to the public and anyone can come in and buy the books, but I was always under the impression that the sales were also for the community, not for someone to make a profit. I said as much to the volunteer, but she told me the library still made money off what the couple bought, so it was all the same to them.

When I went to the sale in September, I went armed with the list of books I am planning to read. I found a great selection and ended up bring home something like 40 books. I even left a great number there that I wanted so I wasn't going overboard. However, by the time I made it to the literature and classics section, I was lucky to find a grand total of 30 or so books there (there were hundreds at the previous sale). I picked through and found a few that I wanted, but it is obvious that the couple who purchased so many really picked out everything.

So, that was a huge bust and I am sorely disappointed, but I ended up with a couple of great finds, including a beautiful green hardcover collection of some of Mark Twain's novels. I also found a great teaching resource book, as well as 4 more books off of my list. I also bought a couple of fun things for the future, including a two book collection of D.H. Lawrence short stories, and another Willa Cather novel.

I managed to finished The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy yesterday, and I rather enjoyed it. I was worried I wouldn't like it, since I have quite a number of Hardy novels on my list, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a wonderful novel.

I think I am going to dive into Of Mice and Men to finish off the LOST books challenge, and try to get through some more of Holmes.

Happy Reading!

"America"

In honor of finishing Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck, I wanted to share a song with you that I felt really connected with the book and my own journey. This song happened to come on the ipod in the car as Matt and I started our drive through the mountains. Again, it was fate.

Enjoy.

Book 15: Finished.

I really, really liked Travels with Charley. It wasn’t that it was the best thing I have ever read, but it ranks pretty high as one of the most inspirational. I think that if I would have read this at a different time I could have felt differently. I mean, the book spoke to me in the moment, and it was meant to be read when I read it.

(I believe in fate, don’t you?)

There were many passages I loved, some for their quirkiness and some because they were breathtakingly beautiful. Here are a few I loved:

In speaking to an actor about his craft Steinbeck says, “So it went on—a profession older than writing and one that will probably survive when the written word has disappeared. And all the sterile wonders of movies and television will fail to wipe it out—a living man in communication with a living audience. But how did he live? Who were his companions? What was his hidden life? He was right. His exit whetted the questions,” (151).

On being a restless American, “Driving the big highway near Toledo I had a conversation with Charley on the subject of roots. He listened but he didn’t reply. In the pattern-thinking about roots I and most other people have left two things out of consideration. Could it be that Americans are a restless people, a mobile people, never satisfied with where they are as a matter of selection? The pioneers, the immigrants who peopled the continent, were the restless ones in Europe. The steady rooted ones stayed home and are still there,” (103).

And because I work for a parks system, “I must confess to a laxness in the matter of National Parks. I haven’t visited many of them. Perhaps this is because they enclose the unique, the spectacular, the astounding—the greatest waterfall, the deepest canyon, the highest cliff, the most stupendous works of man or nature. And I would rather see a good Brady photograph than Mount Rushmore. For it is my opinion that we enclose and celebrate the freaks of our nation and of our civilization. Yellowstone National Park is no more representative of America than is Disneyland,” (161).

This was a book full of personality. Steinbeck is a marvelous narrator and you can really see the place he speaks about, and relate to the individuals he meets along the way. Charley is a great companion and sidekick, often offering relief from the trials of the road.

Steinbeck recalls conversations with the people he meets along the way to add to his narrative. The conversations offer little portraits of life of Americans, but no where does Steinbeck really discover America and what it is to be an American. He never finds specific answers, and you would hope that he doesn’t. It’s not really his goal. He is merely exploring and seeing a nation that even so broad, has much in common.

He also hits on many of the issues plaguing the nation at the time of his journey, namely the flight of people from their hometowns and the discrimination issues in the South. Those scenes, near the end of the book, were difficult to leave, but one line really sticks out in my head;

“What we knew is dead, and maybe the greatest part of what we were is dead. What’s out there is new and perhaps good, but it’s nothing we know,” (203).

Throughout his journey, Steinbeck discusses how America is changing and how it isn’t stagnant any more, and that is his answer. Americas as a people are changing, adapting, and shifting to the things that are thrown their way. So while Steinbeck never answers his question, the reader knows and we understand.

Like I said in an earlier post, this book came at the right time. Not only was it a reaffirmation in what I am trying to accomplish here, but I read it on my own journey through a portion of America. Matt and I took a side trip on our way back to Michigan through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, as well as the National Forests that litter Northern Georgia, the western part of North Carolina, and Tennessee. As we took the scenic roads and Matt pointed at things for me take pictures of, we kept saying, “Wow, it is so beautiful down here.” We commented on the houses, the people, and the way of life. And in our own way, we developed our own image of what America is, or just edited the old vision we had. In any case, we knew that words and pictures could not describe the beauty of what we had seen, even as we tried to capture it.

I think that is the frustration Steinbeck must have felt. He sought out the beauty in people and found it, but couldn’t explain it in a way that all his readers could understand. But I got it, so I could walk away from this book knowing. And even though I have tried to explain it to you, you can’t understand the depth of it until you have seen it yourself.

So save this one for the right moment. I think it’ll only matter to you then.

All pictures were taken by me during our trip.

Book 15: Journeys.

There have only been a couple of times in my life where I picked up a book and it was perfect for that moment. You can’t plan it, you can’t try for it; it just happens. And when one of those books comes along, it just speaks to you in that moment. You simply have to take it in for what it is and cherish those moments.

When I selected a few books to take with me on our road trip down to Orlando for our honeymoon, I just grabbed a few things that I “might” want to read. Travels with Charley was one of those books. I only knew that it was a travel narrative and nothing more. I didn’t know how perfect it was going to be for a road trip down to Florida and back.

From the moment I began reading, I was touched by Steinbeck’s words:

“Once a journey is designed, equipped, and put in process, a new factor enters and takes over. A trip, a safari, an exploration, is an entity, different from all other journeys. It has personality, temperament, individuality, uniqueness. A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us. Tour masters, schedules, reservations, brass-bound and inevitable, dash themselves to wreckage on the personality of the trip. Only when this is recognized can the blown-in-the-glass bum relax and go along with it. Only then do all the frustrations fall away. In this a journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it. I feel better now, having said this, although only those who have experienced it will understand it,” (4).

How perfect an analogy for the journey Matt and I started on that trip down there. When I first read those words, we were only a couple of hours into our trip, stuck on the highway in a blizzard. We were starting two journeys then; one to our destination in Orlando, and the other with each other. And the journey has swept us along with it in the process. It has/had a plan of its own and we were merely along for the ride.

But I also felt a much deeper connection to this because of this blog. My blog and this challenge to myself is an odyssey; that is what inspired the name. And in many aspects, this blog has taken a hold of me and I am merely along for the ride. I never thought anyone would read it outside my family and I never thought that I would already feel something for doing this. With each book, each side trip if you will, I am already feeling a sense of accomplishment and like I have gotten somewhere. I never would have picked up these books if I hadn’t challenged myself to do so and I KNOW that there are many other great things waiting for me in the covers of the books I have yet to read.

Steinbeck set out in the fall of 1960 to see America and to figure out what America was, much like I set out in the fall of 2009 to find purpose. He had questions in mind, but got no definite answer. I am merely hoping that I get answers to the questions I’m not even sure of.

Book 15: Travels with Charley in Search of America

I have never read anything by John Steinbeck.

Before you attack me, know that it was not entirely my fault. In high school I was always in Honors or AP English. During my sophomore year, I ended up in the one class with a teacher who had never taught it before. Her genius idea was to let us vote for the things we wanted to read and discuss that year. While we read some great things that year, The Grapes of Wrath was mysteriously left off our list. I think that my classmates were also scared of its immense volume.

(She never taught Honors English again by the way. I think her methods of teaching were too much for the administration to handle. The entire class was set up as a workshop where we got to decide our own assignments and due dates. We all loved it, but apparently no one else did).

So, I blame my high school for not having to read any Steinbeck in class. And then somehow I earned my English degree without having any Steinbeck on the required reading lists (unlike Dickens, where I just decided NOT to read it). And in all my own prior reading, I just simply never picked up anything by him, even though I probably should of.

I have heard both good and bad things about Steinbeck and I think he might be one of those authors that you either love or you hate. My brother-in-law LOVES Steinbeck and he is the one who asked me to add this title to my list. There are a few other titles by Steinbeck that I left off so I could keep this on (like Tortilla Flat). I am hoping that this was worth it.

Plus, this book has a dog in it and from experience, anything is better with a dog.