Obscene in the Extreme: The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath
Description
This gripping work reconstructs the explosive backlash to the publication of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, focusing on the campaign to burn and ban the novel in California’s Kern County. Through the determined response of a local librarian and the forces aligned against Steinbeck’s portrayal of migrant labor, it explores censorship, class conflict, cultural power, and the uneasy relationship between art and public reputation. Set against the economic hardship and social upheaval of Depression-era America, the narrative reveals why the novel became both a national sensation and a target of fierce opposition. Fast-paced and richly researched, it offers a compelling look at a pivotal episode in American literary and political history.
Available Editions
hardcover
PublicAffairs
Published Jan 1, 2008
308 pages
ISBN: 9781586483319
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Details
First Published
2008
Language
eng
Content Warnings
Content and trigger warnings for Obscene in the Extreme: The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath by Rick Wartzman.