8 essential John Steinbeck books everyone should read
John Steinbeck penned some of America's literary masterpieces, here are our top eight.
When you think of and envision the classic American novelists, there are certainly those who stick out with works that have stood the test of time. One such individual is none other than John Steinbeck. Few writers have championed the poor and downtrodden with the passion and commitment as Steinbeck. Whether one looks to his masterpieces, such as The Grapes of Wrath or East of Eden; his numerous novels and novellas; or his broad number of nonfiction accounts, the author never failed to chronicle the plight of the poor, thereby changing refined society's perception of what may have only been a caricature and brought it to life.
Born in Salinas, Calif., around the turn of the 20th century, much of Steinbeck's work was based in that area as it went through rapid change. Other great writers may have passed through, but he froze its culture in amber, defining its unique community for many before it changed forever. Sure, Steinbeck sold a hell of a lot of books, and he was recognized in his lifetime by the glittery institutions of the age — the National Book Award, the Pulitzer, and the Nobel Prize for Literature, to name a few.
