About the Episode

You don’t always need a plane ticket to travel; sometimes, all you need is a book. Fiction allows us explore worlds beyond our own, taking us out of life’s everyday tangles, and allowing us to move forward with a wider perspective. So rather than travel physically, Good Scribes Only is traveling to Europe, Africa, Central America, North America, Oceania, the Middle East, and Asia by way of literature. Fourth stop, North America! 

About the Book

Published in 1939 and set against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, the Grapes of Wrath follows one family's repeated collisions with the hard realities of America at the time, and what emerges is an intensely human yet majestic, tragic, stirring view into those who find (or fail to find) dignity in hard times. A snapshot of the tension between high and low class Americans, of one man’s inspired responses to injustice, and one woman’s unyielding courage, the novel probes the very core of equality and justice in America. At once a naturalistic tale, road novel, social commentary, and philosophical discussion, Steinbeck’s magnum opus  may be the most American book in the canon of North America's best literature.

About Good Scribes Only

Hosted by novelists and entrepreneurs Daniel Breyer & Jeremy Streich, Good Scribes Only is a podcast for curious minds to explore, challenge, and think differently through books. Sometimes even traveling to a place doesn't permit you to see it for how it really is for those who live there. Fiction, on the other hand, can. And thus, season 3 is about widening our perspective. We hope you're coming along can help do the same. Be sure to check out the Episode Cheat Sheet for an overview.

 We hope you enjoy this discussion about Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.

Episode Notes

0-5 min — Introductory comments

5-10 min — Background on the time

10-15 min — Casting our movie

15-20 min — Character introductions

20-30 min — Religion and runaway capitalism

30-35 min — The “fambly” leaves Oklahoma

35-40 min — California and the American dream

40-45 min — Classism in Grapes of Wrath

45-50 min — The family struggles in California

50-55 min — Themes and devastating conclusion

55-60 min — Title meaning and final thoughts

60-65 min — Ratings and conclusion

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