First published 1939
Tom Joad returns home from prison to find his family's Oklahoma farm abandoned, another casualty of the Dust Bowl and bank foreclosures. The Joads load their belongings onto a rickety truck and join thousands of other displaced families heading west to California, chasing rumors of work in the fruit orchards. Along Route 66, they face breakdowns, death, and dwindling money. When they reach California, they discover a harsh reality: too many workers competing for too few jobs, wages barely enough to survive, and hostility from locals who call them "Okies." The family fragments under the pressure. Tom's hot temper leads to violence and forces him into hiding. His mother, Ma Joad, fights to hold the family together with fierce determination. His pregnant sister Rose of Sharon endures loss and hardship. Through their struggles, the Joads confront an America split between those who have power and those who have nothing. They learn that survival depends not just on individual strength but on solidarity with other displaced families facing the same brutal choices.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, social-commentary
Setting: Oklahoma, California, Route 66
Period: Great Depression
464 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics
Content warnings: death, violence