Obscene in the Extreme: The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath

(Paperback)

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Description

Few books have caused as big a stir as John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath, when it was published in April 1939. By May, it was the nations No. 1 bestseller, flying off store shelves at a rate of 10,000 copies a week. But in Kern County, Californiathe Joads newfound homethe book was burned publicly and banned from library shelves. Obscene in the Extreme tells the remarkable story behind that fit of censorship, a moment when several lives collided as part of a larger class struggle roiling the nation. It is a superb historical narrative that serves as an engaging window into an extraordinary time of upheaval in America, when as Steinbeck put it, A revolution is going on.

Reviews

Scott Martelle, "Los Angeles Times," August 31, 2008
"In these current times of bubbles and bursts, foreclosed-upon homes and entire industries confronting their own mortality, it's good to have a fresh history such as this to remind us of what has gone on before, and to assure that the times will indeed change--eventually.... The Central Valleys of the 1930s ... for many people have been reduced to emblematic photos... Wartzman puts some life on those images... A skillfully drawn reminder of the human toll of deep poverty, intolerance and the unfettered whims of those who control the purse strings."

"Metro Newspaper," September 24, 2008
"An important and illuminating new book."

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Salinas Californian," October 4, 2008
"A fast-paced narrative.... Enlightening and well worth reading."

"Columbia Journalism Review," November/December 2008 issue
""Obscene in the Extreme" is much more than a conventional book-banning saga. It richly chronicles one of the epic tales of the 1930s, the struggle between left and right, hired hands and big farmers, migrant Okies and natives, in the towns and fields of California.... Unfailingly fair to all, Wartzman brings to life a rich cast, ranging from the radical journalist Carey McWilliams to the farm works chosen by his employers to burn a copy of "The Grapes of Wrath" on the streets."

"Minneapolis Star-Tribune," November 30, 2008
"With a novelist's skill and journalist's acumen, Wartzman uses the incident [of the book ban] as a springboard to explore the context of those turbulent times, the personalities and motivations of those involved and the notion of censorship as a politicalweapon."

"Boston Globe," December 2, 2008
"Well-researched, readable.... It's a cautionary tale, particularly relevant in light of the vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who once allegedly asked the librarian in her own small town of Wasilla, Alaska, whether censorship was all right."

"Tucson Citizen," September 9, 2008
"Highly readable...meticulously researched, well crafted and rich in historic detail."

"Booklist," September 15, 2008
"This case study of an attempt to censor John Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath" exposes the wrongheadedness of censorship in a way that more theoretical arguments often fail to do... This is a skillfully written, passionate book... Wartzman has really done his homework, and he tells the story dramatically, using character and dialogue to propel the narrative."

"Bakersfield Californian," September 7, 2008
"A must-read . . . compelling and well-researched."
"Cleveland Plain Dealer," September 7, 2008
"Lively . . . a snapshot of a fascinating moment in national history . . . commendable in its fairness. . . .Wartzman deserves our thanks."
"Mother Jones," September/October, 2008
"[An] engaging look at the long-forgotten campaign to quash a modern classic.... A lively account"
"The Oregonian," September 3, 2008
"Wartzman, the co-author of the excellent "The King of California: J.G. Boswell and the Making of a Secret American Empire," has written another fascinating piece of California history."
"Mother Jones," September/October 2008
"[An] engaging look at the long-forgotten campaign to quash a modern classic.... A live account"
Susan Straight, author of "A Million Nightingales"
"Rick Wartzman has made a dramatic and tension-filled narrative out of the story of how "The Grapes of Wrath" was banned in Kern County, and he has given us a chapter of our history many might not know. His new book is invaluable and exciting."
B>Susan Straight, author of "A Million Nightingales"
"Rick Wartzman has made a dramatic and tension-filled narrative out of the story of how "The Grapes of Wrath" was banned in Kern County, and he has given us a chapter of our history many might not know. His new book is invaluable and exciting."
Anthony Lewis, former "New York Times" columnist and author of "Freedom for the Thought That We Hate: A Biography of the First Amendment"
"Rick Wartzman gives us a dramatic glimpse of a dark American past, where John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" is burned as obscene and farm workers are prosecuted as communists for trying to form a union. It was only 1939. Are the seeds of hate dead"

Author Bio

Rick Wartzman is the Director of the Drucker Institute at Claremont Graduate University in California and a fellow of the New America Foundation. He is the co-author, with Mark Arax, of The King of California: J.G. Boswell and the Making of a Secret American Empire.