The Grapes of Wrath

I’ve been reading John Steinbecks “The Grapes of Wrath.”
An online friend mentioned it, and I realized I had never read it.
It is an American Classic, so I needed to read it.
I’m currently on Chapter 15.

I get myself mentally “dressed” when reading such books.
I’m wearing oily overalls with an oily “nice” coat that I wear over the overalls. It has holes in the elbows of the sleeves. I’m barefooted.
On my head, I wear a tattered, oily hat. I pull it off my head and wipe the sweat out of the hat now and then. —All in my mind.

Now, I say “reading,” but actually, I’ve been doing both, reading the book and listening on Audible.
I have the book, the 75th Anniversary Edition, and I sometimes read along while listening to it narrated on Audible.
Other times, I read it alone with no narration.
Some sentences in the Audible Edition are not in the book. I found that odd. I figured the 75th Anniversary Edition would have all of it.

The book is very interesting.
The narrated version is even good. The narrator, Dylan Baker, does a terrific job reading the book. He is able to bring alive each character so that I can see them. And, of course, the book does that as well.
I don’t like many narrators, but I like Dylan Baker narrating.

It takes place during the Dust Bowl.
These tenant farmers have been kicked off their land — all the farmers have been kicked off their land — and they’re making their way to California for a new life.

Steinbeck is masterful with his descriptions of each scene.
I could never be so wonderful or masterful with such descriptions.
I could only try.

The family, the Joads, eat a lot of Salt Pork along the way.
It makes me want to get myself some Salted Pork and eat along with them as I read.

I guess you could say that I’m into the book.

More later,

–Lynn

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