John Steinbeck

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Fresh from her YA biography of Walt Whitman, Reef again subtly traces the links between the life and the work of a major American writer. This story begins in the middle, as John Steinbeck (1902-1968) travels among the migrant laborers of the Great Depression in California, gathering material for newspaper articles and for what would be his greatest work, The Grapes of Wrath. Other key experiences are presented chronologically, from the author's childhood in Salinas, Calif. (which he drew on for East of Eden) to a scientific trip along the coast to Mexico, during which he heard the story that formed the basis for The Pearl. According to Reef, Steinbeck did not seek fame or critical approval, wishing instead to make "people understand each other" in his varied writings, a goal that perhaps explains his enthusiastic embrace by the public as well as by the Pulitzer and Nobel juries. This thoughtful story, supplemented by more than 70 black-and-white photos, is as nonjudgmental and upbeat as Steinbeck himself strove to be, and an excellent introductory work. Ages 10-up. (Apr.)

KLIATT

Catherine Reef, author of over 20 books of nonfiction for young readers, believes that John Steinbeck "appeals to young readers because he shows that it is possible to enter adulthood yet never lose the idealism, courage, and natural humor of youth." This volume successfully presents the story of Steinbeck as a man and as a writer. It is long enough to introduce readers to the major events in Steinbeck's life and to his major works and yet is not too long to discourage young readers. Reef's organization is straightforward, her insights are clear, and her descriptions are vivid. She manages to introduce readers to sophisticated concepts such as non-teleological thinking and the phalanx theory of group behavior in a simple but effective manner. Reef does an excellent job of connecting Steinbeck's writing to the times in which he lived. Her discussion of The Grapes of Wrath as an outgrowth of Steinbeck's personal experience with the plight of migrant workers in California during the Depression is a prime illustration. She includes some details of which even fans of Steinbeck might be unaware, such as the famous and controversial ending of The Grapes of Wrath in which Rose of Sharon feeds a starving man with the milk from her breast. The inspiration for that gesture came directly from a true story told to Steinbeck by a man named Frank Kilkenny whom he had met in a hobo camp many years earlier. Steinbeck paid Kilkenny two dollars for that story. When asked about the purpose of his work, Steinbeck remarked, "My whole work drive has been aimed at making people understand each other." Reef's purpose here is to help young readers understand Steinbeck and motivate them to read hisworks. In this, she performs a worthwhile service. The text is enriched by a large number of b/w photographs. Many are of Steinbeck and his family at various times throughout his life; others depict the harsh conditions of life in the 1930s. KLIATT Codes: JS—Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 1996, Houghton Mifflin, Clarion, 163p. illus. bibliog. index., Ages 12 to 18.
—Anthony Pucci

Children's Literature - Kathleen Karr

Catherine Reef and her publisher have been producing the most attractive and intelligent author biographies around. Reef's Walt Whitman was a pleasure to read for any age group, and this book continues the fine work. Steinbeck explains the writer and the man within his milieu, and is particularly good in evoking the Depression era that inspired The Grapes of Wrath-complete with sharply reproduced Farm Security Administration photos by Dorothea Lange and Arthur Rothstein. While John Steinbeck is a less cuddly subject than Whitman, one still comes away with an understanding of and an admiration for his work.

School Library Journal

Gr 7-10-This biography is more a photographic essay and historical narrative of the 1920s-1960s than an in-depth portrayal of this important American writer. Steinbeck's compassion for working people and his deep belief in human goodness are indeed emphasized, but Reef stresses the events that had the greatest influence on his work. The Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, the plight of migrant workers, and World War II are part of the American scene so well depicted in his writings. Not much attention is given to Steinbeck's personal life, although the author does touch upon his worrisome, serious nature and his unease with fame. Abundant black-and-white photos are a favorable feature in bringing the era to life. Some critical analysis of his writing is interspersed with the historical facts. This is a very readable introduction to the writer's life and work, but it is not as introspective as Jay Parini's John Steinbeck (Holt, 1995).-Judy R. Johnston, Auburn High School, WA

Kirkus Reviews

In this captivating portrait of the restless, versatile Steinbeck, Reef follows up her stellar Walt Whitman (1995) by illuminating the life and work of another wayward icon of the American cultural scene.

Reef sketches Steinbeck's private life in broad strokes, focusing more closely on his development as a writer: the early (and late) influence of the works of Thomas Malory and Robert Louis Stevenson, his profound response to encounters with hoboes and migrant workers in California, the inspiration he drew from travel and friends. He is seen as an active, sensitive man with a silly streak (he once bought a cannon and fired it off—41 times—to mark a wife's birthday) and no great interest in celebrity; Reef claims that Steinbeck wrote The Sea of Cortez, a book of natural history, to deflect public attention after the success of The Grapes of Wrath. Telling incidents, anecdotes, short passages, and sound bites reveal Steinbeck's character and talents; Reef's lucid look at her subject's language, experiments in narrative form, and unforgettable gallery of "farmhands, townspeople, Mexican- Americans and hoboes" will certainly kindle an interest in one who is, to too many readers, just another piece of homework.