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 15th greatest book of all time
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Total Points: 6253
This book was first published in 1939
62 Lists
- score: 205 -- The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All Time - 2007 (Weight: 200)
- score: 192 -- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die - 2006 (Weight: 192)
- score: 184 -- Världsbiblioteket (The World Library) - 1991 (Weight: 184)
- score: 176 -- A Hundred Novels to Change Your Life - 2019 (Weight: 168)
- score: 168 -- 100 Life-Changing Books - 2006 (Weight: 168)
- score: 168 -- 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature - 2021 (Weight: 168)
- score: 165 -- 30 Books Every Adult Should Read Before They Die - 2006 (Weight: 152)
- score: 155 -- The 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century - 1999 (Weight: 152)
- score: 152 -- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers - 2024 (Weight: 152)
- score: 144 -- The Booklist Century: 100 Books, 100 Years - 2005 (Weight: 144)
- score: 144 -- The New York Public Library's Books of the Century - 1996 (Weight: 144)
- score: 128 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read - 2009 (Weight: 128)
- score: 128 -- 100 Most Influential Books of the Century - 2000 (Weight: 128)
- score: 125 -- Koen Book Distributors Top 100 Books of the Past Century - 1999 (Weight: 120)
- score: 120 -- Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century - 1999 (Weight: 115)
- score: 120 -- Best Books Ever - 2006 (Weight: 120)
- score: 120 -- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime - 2014 (Weight: 120)
- score: 118 -- The Celebrity Reading List - 2007 (Weight: 112)
- score: 117 -- Best Books Listed for High School Students - 1984 (Weight: 128)
- score: 117 -- Radcliffe's 100 Best Novels - 1998 (Weight: 112)
- score: 116 -- The Modern Library | 100 Best Novels - 1999 (Weight: 112)
- score: 113 -- The 100 Favorite Novels of Librarians - 1999 (Weight: 112)
- score: 112 -- The Great American Read - 2018 (Weight: 108)
- score: 112 -- The Great American Novels - 2024 (Weight: 112)
- score: 112 -- Inteliquest's World's 100 Greatest Books of All-Time - 1993 (Weight: 112)
- score: 112 -- Select 100 - 2015 (Weight: 112)
- score: 108 -- 100 Essential Books - 2009 (Weight: 108)
- score: 104 -- TIME Magazine All Time 100 Novels - 2005 (Weight: 104)
- score: 98 -- My Favourite Book - Australian Big Read - 2004 (Weight: 96)
- score: 97 -- The Big Read - 2003 (Weight: 96)
- score: 96 -- Recommended Books - 2017 (Weight: 96)
- score: 94 -- 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction - 1999 (Weight: 92)
- score: 92 -- Great Books - 2006 (Weight: 92)
- score: 92 -- Masterpieces of World Literature - 1991 (Weight: 92)
- score: 91 -- Waterstone's Books of the Century - 1997 (Weight: 88)
- score: 90 -- 100 Best Novels in English Since 1900 - 2014 (Weight: 88)
- score: 88 -- The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users - 2008 (Weight: 88)
- score: 88 -- Kanon na koniec wieku (Canon at the end of the century) - 2002 (Weight: 88)
- score: 88 -- Books That Shaped America - 2012 (Weight: 88)
- score: 84 -- A Century of Reading - 2018 (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- The Graphic Canon - 2012 (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- The Best Classics - 2006 (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- 50 Books to (Re-)Read at 50 - 2012 (Weight: 84)
- score: 76 -- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books - 2013 (Weight: 76)
- score: 76 -- The 80 Books Every Man Should Read - 2015 (Weight: 76)
- score: 76 -- 100 Best Novels Written in English - 2015 (Weight: 76)
- score: 72 -- The Complete 500: OCLC - 2024 (Weight: 72)
- score: 69 -- The 100 Greatest Novels - 2007 (Weight: 68)
- score: 69 -- The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read - 2009 (Weight: 68)
- score: 69 -- The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time - 2004 (Weight: 68)
- score: 68 -- The Book of Great Books: A Guide to 100 World Classics - 2001 (Weight: 68)
- score: 68 -- The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers - 2002 (Weight: 68)
- score: 60 -- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon - 1994 (Weight: 60)
- score: 60 -- 50 Books to Read Before You Die - 2015 (Weight: 60)
- score: 52 -- Nancy Pearl's 100 Good Reads, Decade by Decade - 2009 (Weight: 52)
- score: 44 -- The Dream of the Great American Novel - 2014 (Weight: 44)
- score: 44 -- One Hundred Best American Novels, 1770 to 1985 - 2014 (Weight: 44)
- score: 44 -- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List - 2018 (Weight: 44)
- score: 40 -- Top 50 Books - 1997 (Weight: 40)
- score: 36 -- The 100 Greatest American Novels, 1893 – 1993 - 2013 (Weight: 36)
- score: 25 -- 101 of the World's Greatest Books (1950) - 1950 (Weight: 68)
- score: 7 -- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction - Yearly Book Award (Weight: 40)