Given the fact that the number of novels I've read during the past 6 months has easily surpassed the number of theatrical movies I've been to (which I haven't even been faithful about chronicling anyway), maybe I ought to replace the movielog section with a booklog. In any case, I thought I might put down a few thoughts about the one I just finished. John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath.

Set in the 1930s, the book tells the story of one of the many families in Oklahoma forced off their land by the banking system. It follows their journey to California, where they hope to find work, prosperity, and a new life. While I won't reveal the ending, I suspect it's probably not a book Kiesa would like.

It works both as a gripping story on a personal character level, and as a harsh social commentary about the cruelty of capitalism run amuck. (I know that in the minds of some readers, I just committed a heresy by using the word "capitalism" in a negative context. If I were really interested in being more diplomatic with those whose minds are still stuck in the samd dogma where I once sat, I would probably use somewhat different language. But right now, I just feel like calling a spade a spade. Wisely, the book itself never once uses that particular word that I can recall, but it does do a damn good job of describing, in simple, understandable terms, everything that could be summed up in that one word. Capitalism.)

Oh, and another good thing about having read this book. I now have a better comprehension as to what the lyrics of that Rage Against the Machine song are talking about. The Ghost of Tom Joad.

One other thing. Though the contempory setting of the book is obviously the Great Depression, it would be a mistake to simply write it off as something from history, which therefore no longer applies today. It is every bit as relevant now as it was then. Indeed, the narrator explicitly states how one of the greatest mistakes made by the elites was that they repeatedly disregarded the lessons of history. (We all remember that famous George Santayana quote, right?)

In fact, it's all still happening right now, here in the United States. Yes, I know that "our" standard of living, even for those of "us" working (or not working, as the case may be) in lower wage jobs is heaven compared to the conditions portrayed in the book, but just expand the sphere of perception a little. Substitute "Oklahoma" with "Mexico", and change "heading west" to "going north", and many of the same patterns emerge. For those who have read the book, it's a little unsettling, isn't it?

Well, I've digressed a bit. Even if you're not the type of person who likes to mull over politics and stuff, the story is a good one. The characters really grow on you.

And, the thing that happens right at the very end, on the last page... Not gonna spoil it, but I'm still getting goosebumps. What a bizarrely shocking way to cap it off.

In a way, I'd kind of like to read the sequel, if only it existed. But I know the author had a purpose in stopping where he did. The implicit directive is, You -- all of you -- will create the real ending to this story. At least that's how I interpret it.

Well, as far as book reviews go, this is probably not very cohesive, but those are my thoughts for right now. One of these days, I might transcribe a few of the choice passages here.

Finally, a source for more information about the present day.