Are you glad you read Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath in high school or....

[Dawn in MI]

....do you wish you had waited until you were older & could really appreciate it? Or did you grasp it in high school? Or did you hate it? All opinions are welcome in this thread.:)

I, myself cannot recall reading it at all, thanks to a less than stellar public school education. So I'm thinking of either reading it alongside my 17yos or perhaps just watching the movie with him as this is for his US history class, not American Lit.

Thanks!
Dawn

[Chris in CA]

Honestly I'd definitely pre-read or read it with them, it has a ton of language in it as do all Steinbeck books. I personally don't care for him, but I'm really partial to the Brits anyway

[Hilary]

I read it in high school, although I don't think it was part of a class. I was a huge reader in high school and was trying to work through a list of the "100 Books You Should Read Before College." In any case, I think I *understood* it ... but I sure did find it depressing (almost as bad as In Cold Blood ... another recommended book).

[Dot]

Myds, 13, has read it and seen the movie. I think Steinbeck is one of the greatest authors ever. I will admit to rolling my eyes when someone says Grapes of Wrath was too depressing--what did they expect it to be???

[kathleen]

I didn't read it in high school, but I didn't even like it as an adult! My son began to read it last year, at 16 but hated it, so I didn't make him finish. He thought it was very crude. He's a pretty sophisticated reader, and isn't averse to mature themes, but didn't appreciate the crude (and what he considered constant) sexual allusions.

[Faithr]

I'm planning to have my high schoolers read Grapes of Wrath next year. I loved the book. I felt completely absorbed in the Joads' world and all the hardships and heartache of the times. Maybe it's because my own parents lived through the Depression. But I have to admit that I have enjoyed every Steinbeck book I ever read. And I think I like this type of book. I am in the middle of a re-read of Mary Barton and it is full of death and woe and I think it's brilliant!

[Nan in Mass]

I disliked it so much I'm never going to try to read it again. I'm sure it is great; I've been amazed at how great some of the totally mediocre seeming things I read in high school really are, now that I've grown into them, but in general, the things I liked in high school are the things I now like best, like Shakespeare and Jane Austen and Beowulf, and the things I disliked I still dislike for the same reasons, even if I now appreciate why some people think they are great. Maybe that is because I was a good enough reader that I didn't dislike things because they were difficult to read but because they were depressing or sad without any redeeming value (as far as I could see) except realisticness or being sad, both of which just magnified their depressingness. Some people like learning about history by reading realistic fiction. I'd rather the awful bits of history were presented to me in dry textbook form so I'm not haunted by them. So, I've only explained all that so you'll understand *why* I'm not reading Grapes of Wrath or making my children read it. Lots of people here read lots of difficult things in high school, didn't understand it at the time, and have been grateful to have it as part of their lives ever since. I am too simple minded to be one of them. We're doing lots of ancients and medievals, a bit of the lighter later stuff, and scifi, and giving most of the 20th century greats a miss. I think my children are more likely to read them later than read ancients later so I want to get the ancients in now, and I think my children are more likely to read and like the 20th century stuff later if they haven't decided they hate it by having to read it before they have the life experience to appreciate it.
Just my way of dealing with greats, so ignore this if it isn't helpful.
-Nan

[Sandra in NC]

I skipped some of the bad language.

It's an excellent book -- one of my all time favorites.

East of Eden is even better.

[MIch elle]

in my honors English class. Mr. Linn was an awesome
teacher. I just loaned my copy to my 30 yo neice and she loved it!

[Kareni]

I read it in either 7th or 8th grade for English class. I don't recall whether I liked it or not. What I do recall was the follow up assignment I did. I made a newspaper front page with various articles about the era.

In that school, I also remembering reading A Tale of Two Cities at about the same time. With that book I remember learning about foreshadowing. "Wow, you mean the spilled wine means that blood will flow?! How do you know that?"

Regards,
Kareni

[Plaid Dad]

I hated Steinbeck and still do.

[Karin]

If you're interested, several of us commented on The Grapes of Wrath in this thread. In fact, this book got a fair bit of coverage, as did Steinbeck in general and a few others. I, for one, read it just because I'd heard it was good and my parents had it. I was in high school. I hated it due to it's depressing nature. Since I didn't take it in a course, I didn't know it would stay that way all the way through. I haven't liked any of his books, though, although I read a few.

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12364&highlight=Grapes+Wrath

[Stacy in NJ]

Excellent book. I read it in 11th grade. I also like the movie with Henry Fonda.

[Chris in VA]

Ds read it this year, but I just read bits and pieces, and read the Cliff Notes so we could discuss it (actually, I think it was Spark Notes, but you get my drift).
He thought it was interesting, depressing, but had really good descriptions of the time and the treatment of the Okies. We liked the clever "every other chapter" way Steinbeck wrote. Great use of literary devices, story made sense, characters leapt off the page.
Really, the difference between reading this and reading the books public school kids have to wade thru is night and day. Night and day.

[gardenschooler]

I'm pretty sure I read it on my own, not as an assigned book. I absolutely loved it because it was just so real.

I assigned it to my dd15 as summer reading after 9th grade. She was horrified by the language, so maybe I shouldn't have done that. I really didn't remember it as being that shocking, but my reading lists as a kid and hers were vastly different. But she is being assigned tons worse than that in ps this year, and I sort of wanted to prepare her for that (as I'd always weeded out things because of language/content before - probably way too much). I didn't want her to be too shocked when she got to ps, and started reading things that weren't so wholesome.

[Christine]

....do you wish you had waited until you were older & could really appreciate it? Or did you grasp it in high school? Or did you hate it? All opinions are welcome in this thread.:)

I, myself cannot recall reading it at all, thanks to a less than stellar public school education. So I'm thinking of either reading it alongside my 17yos or perhaps just watching the movie with him as this is for his US history class, not American Lit.

Thanks!
Dawn

I hated it in highschool. I re-read it as an adult, and hated it even more (if possible).

I won't be requiring it of my kids. . .but if they choose to read it they may.

My mother still claims it's a good discourse of the time period, the same with Cannery Row. . .

(I didn't like Cannery Row either. Steinbeck is not an author I appreciate.)

[Beth in SW WA]

East of Eden is even better.

I agree!

[Peek a Boo]

I hated it in highschool. I re-read it as an adult, and hated it even more (if possible).

I won't be requiring it of my kids. . .but if they choose to read it they may.

My mother still claims it's a good discourse of the time period, the same with Cannery Row. . .

(I didn't like Cannery Row either. Steinbeck is not an author I appreciate.)


Mega Dittos.

[Rachel]

I actually posted about this on my blog.........how funny.

Read it in high school..............hated it

Actually wrote off Steinback entirely because of it.

Read some other stuff of Steinback's earlier this year and have found that I LOVE his style of writing and GET his perspective now as an adult.

[WagsWife]

In 10th grade I had to read both, Of Mice and Men and Catcher in the Rye. Around that time, adults were very concerned (like most generations are) about teen angst and increased teen suicides. I remember thinking that it was no wonder teenagers were committing suicide...*I* felt like putting a gun to my head after reading those two miserable books! Needless to say...they (and probably any book by Steinbeck and Salinger) will not be on the required reading list in our homeschool.

[Karin]

putting a gun to my head after reading those two miserable books! Needless to say...they (and probably any book by Steinbeck and Salinger) will not be on the required reading list in our homeschool.



Salinger, I'd forgotten about him. I don't like him, either, as I recall. My parents had a lot of literary books around.

[Dawn in MI]

It seems there isn't much middle ground--people either love his books or hate them. Since this is for history class, I think I'll talk to him about various opinions of the book, Grapes of Wrath, but opt to watch the movie. It would probably be better for this particular son to be depressed for a 128 minute movie, rather than be depressed for an entire book. Your replies were all so interesting & helpful.

Thanks!
Dawn