Reader Poll

I was talking with my friend Amy recently and she mentioned that she heard Rick Wartzman, an editor for the Los Angeles Times, is working on a book about Kern County and it’s reaction to the release of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.

We both agreed it seemed odd that we, having grown up in Bakersfield and attended its public schools, did not read the book or even learn about it until college. We definitely didn’t know that it had once been banned. I’m interested in finding out what other people’s experiences are.

When you attended high school in Bakersfield, did you read or discuss The Grapes of Wrath?

(Clarification!! Amy just emailed me and told me my wording in this post made it sound like we had never even heard of the book. Then she called me a hillbilly. I did not mean to imply this. I'm only saying it was not read in high school. Geez - is that CLEAR enough for ya Amy? Get off my back!)