John Steinbeck: Centennial Reflections by American Writers

by Susan Shillinglaw (Editor)

Genres: Essays

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this book with no intention of reading it. I picked this up on a roadtrip to Big Sur last year and discovered that Salinas, oh beloved hometown of John Steinbeck, happened to be on the way. To my surprise, there ended up being a whole museum about Steinbeck when we parked our car to walk around and I purchased this book as one of those "nice-to-have" souvenirs there. Flash forward a full year later, I resolved to finish more dust-accumulating books on my shelf before I could buy more, physical or kindle books. And here we are. I don't typically read memoirs, so reading other people's thoughts and reflections on someone else's life and literary work was a whole slightly existential experience. It ended up being quite moving. Seeing the impact of a singular person's words on such a wide range of people of all ages and upbringings made me reflect on the boldness Steinbeck took in his canon of work. It's clear that his conviction to shedding light on the social issues of the Depression was unwavering when it was unpopular to do so. And his work rocked a new wave of authors to carry that same conviction into their respective generations' worth of literature. I also learned that I clearly need to read Grapes of Wrath, and two books of his I've never heard of: The Red Pony and To a God Unknown. Out of all the reflections, I found Steinbeck's son to convey one of the most powerful portrayals of who he was. Before he was a prolific author, figure and commentator, Steinbeck was first a man who just loved to read.