During the peak of the Great Depression, Tom Joad is paroled from prison where he served time for a homicide. While hitchhiking to his family’s home in Oklahoma, he meets his childhood friend Jim Casy. They arrive at the farm, only to find it abandoned. He is told that the banks have evicted all the farmers and Tom’s family is moving to California, where they hope to find work. The two decide to join them. However, when they arrive, they find that wages are low, and workers are starving. Plus, all police and state law enforcement authorities are on the side of the rich landowners. After seeing this injustice, Casy becomes a labor organizer and recruits for a labor union. The Joads find work at a peach orchard but only get paid enough to eat. The peach plantation they work cuts their pay in half and the workers riot. Casy is fatally beaten and Tom kills his attacker and runs. The Joads leave the plantation to work at a cotton farm, and Tom goes away so as to not risk being caught and have his family blacklisted from working. I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it. It really goes into detail about the family’s everyday life, from the dull early-morning breakfasts to the crazy and exciting journey West. The characters seem very believable and it allows you to understand some of the hardships that people face today.
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