John Steinbeck is probably most famous for his Pulitzer Prize winning epic, The Grapes of Wrath, but he is also well known for Of Mice and Men, East of Eden and The Red Pony.  Steinbeck was born in California, and many of his works are set there.  The Grapes of Wrath begins with the story of Oklahoma farmers who are devastated by the Dust Bowl of the 1930s and who then migrate to California to become fruit pickers. 

Essential Questions:

1.  Why is Of Mice and Men second on the list of Banned Books from the 1990s? 

2.  What are some of Steinbeck's major themes in The Grapes of Wrath? 

3.  What political changes occur after Steinbeck publishes The Grapes of Wrath? 

Links: 

Visit the official Steinbeck website, based in his hometown of Salinas, CA. 

Peruse a chronology of Steinbeck's life, a list of all of his books, and the places he loved at the Monterey County Historical website. 

Take a virtual tour of places important to John Steinbeck and/or his literary works. 

Visit a complete website of Steinbeck's life, writings and films, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities in honor of Steinbeck's "100th" birthday. 

Read a brief overview of events which occurred in 2002, in honor of what would have been Steinbeck's 100th birthday. 

Read John Steinbeck's 1962 Nobel Prize acceptance speech.

Peruse a very thorough website devoted to many aspects of Steinbeck's life.