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: 6214
This book was first published in 1939
64 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: 165 -- 30 Books Every Adult Should Read Before They Die - 2006 (Weight: 152)
- score: 159 -- A Hundred Novels to Change Your Life - 2019 (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: 152 -- 100 Life-Changing Books - 2006 (Weight: 152)
- score: 152 -- 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature - 2021 (Weight: 152)
- score: 144 -- The New York Public Library's Books of the Century - 1996 (Weight: 144)
- score: 144 -- The Booklist Century: 100 Books, 100 Years - 2005 (Weight: 144)
- score: 128 -- Books that Shaped the Century - 2020 (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 -- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime - 2014 (Weight: 120)
- score: 120 -- Best Books Ever - 2006 (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 -- 100 Most Influential Books of the Century - 2000 (Weight: 112)
- score: 112 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read - 2009 (Weight: 112)
- score: 112 -- Inteliquest's World's 100 Greatest Books of All-Time - 1993 (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 -- Select 100 - 2015 (Weight: 96)
- score: 94 -- 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction - 1999 (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: 84 -- The Graphic Canon - 2012 (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- A Century of Reading - 2018 (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- The Best Classics - 2006 (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- 50 Books to (Re-)Read at 50 - 2012 (Weight: 84)
- score: 80 -- Recommended Books - 2017 (Weight: 80)
- score: 76 -- Great Books - 2006 (Weight: 76)
- score: 76 -- 100 Best Novels Written in English - 2015 (Weight: 76)
- score: 72 -- The Complete 500: OCLC - 2024 (Weight: 72)
- score: 72 -- Books That Shaped America - 2012 (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 College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers - 2002 (Weight: 68)
- score: 68 -- The Book of Great Books: A Guide to 100 World Classics - 2001 (Weight: 68)
- score: 60 -- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books - 2013 (Weight: 60)
- score: 60 -- 50 Books to Read Before You Die - 2015 (Weight: 60)
- score: 60 -- The 80 Books Every Man Should Read - 2015 (Weight: 60)
- score: 60 -- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon - 1994 (Weight: 60)
- score: 44 -- One Hundred Best American Novels, 1770 to 1985 - 2014 (Weight: 44)
- score: 44 -- The Dream of the Great American Novel - 2014 (Weight: 44)
- score: 41 -- 100 Best Western(United States) Works of Fiction - 1999 (Weight: 40)
- score: 40 -- Top 50 Books - 1997 (Weight: 40)
- score: 36 -- Nancy Pearl's 100 Good Reads, Decade by Decade - 2009 (Weight: 36)
- score: 36 -- The 100 Greatest American Novels, 1893 – 1993 - 2013 (Weight: 36)
- score: 28 -- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List - 2018 (Weight: 28)
- score: 25 -- 101 of the World's Greatest Books (1950) - 1950 (Weight: 68)
- score: 7 -- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction - Yearly Book Award (Weight: 40)