I picked up The Grapes of Wrath some time ago in an effort to balance political rants with a little classical literature. But I kept shuffling it to the bottom of the stack because everyone said the story was long and depressing. Once I started, I immediately fell in love with the book. Sure the storyline is depressing, but knowing the general tone in advance prevented me from ever developing hope for the characters. The book covers a depression era family kicked off their farm in Oklahoma as they head west toward tales of agricultural jobs in California. From the start, people take advantage of their desperate situation, offering below-market values for things they sell off before leaving, and then charging exorbitant prices for spare automotive parts along the way. Upon reaching California they run into the company store system, where people get paid in credits at the store where prices are inflated so a person cannot possibly save money. The major force at work in the story are landowners deliberately luring more people to the area than they can possibly use. When you get five-thousand men showing up and need only one-thousand, you can cut the wage until you get only the thousand most desperate. The story gives a fine example of why some kind of minimum wage system is a good idea.
I found myself thinking of the book as non-fiction. There was, in fact, a massive westward migration towards California. And conditions for migrant farm workers were terrible (and are poor to this day). No doubt the book became a classic because of its accurate portrayal of the 1930's. Perhaps the book also rings true with me because I've begun to see today's leaders so eager to lay off people and create a populace that is desperate for any kind of work. The same kind of collusion to lower wages would get one on the cover for Fortune magazine these days.
One criticism of the book that I have to agree with is that businessmen are treated a bit one-sided. Everyone who you could consider an "owner" is consistently ruthless, while the "workers" are always quick to lend each other a helping hand. A bit too cut and dry, but Steinbeck had spent a lot of time with farm workers, and definitely developed an opinion on their plight. One historically correct aspect of the book, is the extent to which the Law Enforcement community in America brutalized labor organizers. From mines to mils to fields, union activists and strikers have been killed across this land. In several ways the books is still relevant. In know that today migrant farmers in Washington and California still have to fight for the barest of dignity in their living conditions. Only we don't hear much about them because they aren't white, and seldom citizens.
I give The Grapes of Wrath my highest rating. Forget that escapist Harry Potter nonsense and go for some real literature. Something to make you think about the world in which you live today.