BACKGROUND: I'm 15 years old and I had heard of Grapes of Wrath but obviously had never read it. In fact, I had seriously dropped the bar in my reading once I reached High school. I used to read all the time in Jr. High and Elementary. I read Animal Farm and TKAM in 9th grade and loved them but they didn't spark my interest in reading again. However, just a few months ago in my Honors English 10 class, we were all given Of Mice and Men. This was a very quick yet complex read that wrecked me emotionally after I finished it. I fell in love with Steinbeck after that and began googling him. I decided I was going to read Grapes of Wrath and ordered it on Amazon the next day. It took me a little longer than it should have but last night I finished the book.

ACTUAL REVIEW: This book was absolutely amazing. I haven't read a ton of books but this tops the charts. I loved the idea of doing a chapter about the Joad's and then doing a quick chapter about the lives of random people during those times. The images are haunting and beautiful. Chapters 25 and 29 come to mind. I also noticed that the Tom Joad and John Casy storyline could be a book on its own. Tom running into Casy in the very beginning and the conversations that took place throughout the book that no one really understood. At the end when Tom begins to talk like Casy and decides he will follow in his footsteps, I began to see just how much of an impact Casy had. I also absolutely loved Ma, such a strong and caring character. It took me a minute or two to fully grasp the ending but when I did I'm not ashamed to admit I shed a tear. I don't have any cons really with the book just one question. What exactly was the purpose of Noah Joad's character? I might be alone on this but I found his abandonment from the family really forced and out of nowhere. They briefly talk about him after he leaves and then forget about it. Maybe the family wasn't that surprised given the background of his character? I would like some clarity on this but overall an incredible and very informative read.