Obscene in the Extreme: The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath"
Author(s): Rick Wartzman
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."
General Information
- :
- : The Perseus Books Group
- : PublicAffairs,U.S.
- : 0.417
- : 17 September 2009
- : United States
- : books
Other Specifications
- : Rick Wartzman
- : Paperback
- : 320
- : illustrations
More About The Product
Scott Martelle, "Los Angeles Times," August 31, 2008
"In these current times of bubbles and bursts, foreclosed-upon homes and entire industries confronting their own mortality, it's good to have a fresh history such as this to remind us of what has gone on before, and to assure that the times will indeed change--eventually.... The Central Valleys of the 1930s ... for many people have been reduced to emblematic photos... Wartzman puts some life on those images... A skillfully drawn reminder of the human toll of deep poverty, intolerance and the unfettered whims of those who control the purse strings."
"Metro Newspaper," September 24, 2008
"An important and illuminating new book."
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Salinas Californian," October 4, 2008
"A fast-paced narrative.... Enlightening and well worth reading."
"Columbia Journalism Review," November/December 2008 issue
""Obscene in the Extreme" is much more than a conventional book-banning saga. It richly chronicles one of the epic tales of the 1930s, the struggle between left and right, hired hands and big farmers, migrant Okies and natives, in the towns and fields of California.... Unfailingly fair to all, Wartzman brings to life a rich cast, ranging from the radical journalist Carey McWilliams to the farm works chosen by his employers to burn a copy of "The Grapes of Wrath" on the streets."
"Minneapolis Star-Tribune," November 30, 2008
"With a novelist's skill and journalist's acumen, Wartzman uses the incident [of the book ban] as a springboard to explore the context of those turbulent times, the personalities and motivations of those involved and the notion of censorship as a politicalweapon."
"Boston Globe," December 2, 2008
"Well-researched, readable.... It's a cautionary tale, particularly relevant in light of the vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who once allegedly asked the librarian in her own small town of Wasilla, Alaska, whether censorship was all right."
