The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The book follows the Joad family, Oklahoma farmers displaced from their land during the Great Depression. The family, alongside thousands of other "Okies," travel to California in search of work and a better life. Throughout their journey, they face numerous hardships and injustices, yet maintain their humanity through unity and shared sacrifice. The narrative explores themes of man's inhumanity to man, the dignity of wrath, and the power of family and friendship, offering a stark and moving portrayal of the harsh realities of American migrant laborers during the 1930s.
The 16th greatest book of all time
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This book is on the following lists:
- 1st on A Hundred Novels to Change Your Life (The Daily Mail)
- 3rd on Radcliffe's 100 Best Novels (Radcliffe Publishing Course)
- 4th on Koen Book Distributors Top 100 Books of the Past Century (themodernnovel.com)
- 7th on Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century (Le Monde)
- 8th on The Celebrity Reading List (Gardiner Public Library)
- 9th on Waterstone's Books of the Century (LibraryThing)
- 10th on The Modern Library | 100 Best Novels (Modern Library)
- 11th on 30 Books Every Adult Should Read Before They Die (The British Museums, Libraries, and Archives Society)
- 11th on Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 12th on The Great American Read (PBS)
- 29th on The Big Read (BBC)
- 30th on 100 Best Novels in English Since 1900 (Counterpunch)
- 33rd on My Favourite Book - Australian Big Read (Australian Big Read)
- 34th on 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction (Larry McCaffery)
- 37th on The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All Time (The Top 10 (Book))
- 42nd on Kanon na koniec wieku (Canon at the end of the century) (Rzeczpospolita (newspaper))
- 42nd on The 100 Greatest Novels (greatbooksguide.com)
- 44th on The 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century (Folha de São Paulo)
- 49th on The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read (Telegraph)
- 60th on The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (The Novel 100)
- 69th on The 100 Favorite Novels of Librarians (Bookman.com)
- 75th on The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users (Culture Café)
- 79th on 100 Essential Books (Bravo! Magazine)
- The New York Public Library's Books of the Century (New York Public Library)
- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers (Parade)
- A Century of Reading (Lithub)
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (The Western Canon (Book) by Harold Bloom)
- The Booklist Century: 100 Books, 100 Years (BookList)
- The Great American Novels (The Atlantic)
- Best Books Listed for High School Students (William J. Bennett)
- Books That Shaped America (Library of Congress)
- The Best Classics (The Times)
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (Pulitzer Prize)
- The 80 Books Every Man Should Read (Esquire)
- 100 Most Influential Books of the Century (Boston Public Library)
- The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers (The College Board, an American not-for-profit organization)
- The 100 Greatest American Novels, 1893 – 1993 (Jeff O'Neal at Bookriot.com)
- Världsbiblioteket (The World Library) (Tidningen Boken)
- 50 Books to (Re-)Read at 50 (nextavenue)
- Masterpieces of World Literature (Frank N. Magill)
- The Book of Great Books: A Guide to 100 World Classics (Book)
- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books (Jeff O'Neal at Bookriot.com)
- Great Books (The Learning Channel)
- Best Books Ever (bookdepository.com)
- 100 Life-Changing Books (National Book Award)
- The Graphic Canon (Book)
- Recommended Books (Academy of Achievement)
- Select 100 (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime (Amazon.com (UK))
- 100 Best Novels Written in English (The Guardian)
- 50 Books to Read Before You Die (Barnes and Noble)
- TIME Magazine All Time 100 Novels (TIME Magazine)
- The Dream of the Great American Novel (Book)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)