I finished “The Grapes of Wrath.”
It’s gonna take a good 24 to 48 hours for me to recover from reading…that.
This family, in fact, all of the families, were living in “H-E-Double-Hockey-Stick” already, and I didn’t think life could get any worse.
It did.
As I said in another post, the story occurred during the “Dust Bowl.” Combine with that “The Great Depression,” and you get an idea of how bad these farmer families had it.
I’ve seen pictures of families from that era who lived in train boxcars or made little shacks out of whatever wood they could find.
We studied The Dust Bowl and the Great Depression in school, in fact, and I knew it was bad during that time.
“Steinbeck,” though, wants his reader to see what they saw. Smell what they smelled. Taste what they tasted.
He is a master of descriptions. I give him that—a master.
I understand why it is an American Classic.
So, my next book is a much lighter read.
I’ve bought the audible version already and have gotten about 4 hours into it.
It’s called “Travels with Charlie: in Search of America” by “John Steinbeck.”
Yes, another book by “Steinbeck.”
Steinbeck said that he had lost touch with his fellow Americans. It had been 25 years, give or take a year, since he really got out to experience America and all it had to offer.
He went on to say that he was writing about something he no longer knew. So, Steinbeck and his dog, “Charlie” took off across America.
To experience it. To taste and smell America—to get to know his fellow Americans. This is what I would like to do.
For his trip, he did not use his name at all. He was completely incognito.
He had a specialized truck built, including a camper with two bunks, A/C, a fridge, a stove, and a toilet. It also came with a water tank.
He took his trip in the early ’60s.
Currently, “Charlie,” “Steinbeck,” and I are in Maine.
I am not only enjoying it but am learning from his trip.
And that is all for now.
Love you,
–Lynn
