Obscene in the Extreme
The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath
Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Books & Reading, Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century
| Author: | Rick Wartzman | ISBN: | 9780786726073 |
| Publisher: | PublicAffairs | Publication: | September 1, 2009 |
| Imprint: | PublicAffairs | Language: | English |
| Author: | Rick Wartzman |
| ISBN: | 9780786726073 |
| Publisher: | PublicAffairs |
| Publication: | September 1, 2009 |
| Imprint: | PublicAffairs |
| Language: | English |
Few books have caused as big a stir as John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, when it was published in April 1939. By May, it was the nation's No. 1 bestseller, flying off store shelves at a rate of 10,000 copies a week. But in Kern County, California-the Joads' newfound home-the book was burned publicly and banned from library shelves. Obscene in the Extreme tells the remarkable story behind that fit of censorship, a moment when several lives collided as part of a larger class struggle roiling the nation. It is a superb historical narrative that serves as an engaging window into an extraordinary time of upheaval in America, when as Steinbeck put it, A revolution is going on.”
Few books have caused as big a stir as John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, when it was published in April 1939. By May, it was the nation's No. 1 bestseller, flying off store shelves at a rate of 10,000 copies a week. But in Kern County, California-the Joads' newfound home-the book was burned publicly and banned from library shelves. Obscene in the Extreme tells the remarkable story behind that fit of censorship, a moment when several lives collided as part of a larger class struggle roiling the nation. It is a superb historical narrative that serves as an engaging window into an extraordinary time of upheaval in America, when as Steinbeck put it, A revolution is going on.”
