East of Eden

East of Eden was dubbed "the first book" by Nobel Laureate John Steinbeck in his journal, and it does have the primal power and simplicity of myth. This expansive and often cruel novel, set in the fertile farmland of California's Salinas Valley, recounts the connected fates of two families-the Trasks and the Hamiltons-whose generations helplessly repeat the fall of Adam and Eve and the toxic rivalry of Cain and Abel. Adam Trask moved to California from the East in order to cultivate and raise his family on the new fertile land. However, the birth of his twins, Cal and Aaron, drives his wife insane, leaving Adam alone to raise his boys to manhood. The Grapes of Wrath

The Pulitzer Prize-winning epic The Grapes of Wrath, which was shocking and controversial when it was originally published in 1939, remains Steinbeck's unchallenged masterpiece. It chronicles the story of Tom Joad and his family, who, like thousands of others, are compelled to go west in quest of the promised land, set against the backdrop of Dust Bowl Oklahoma and Californian migrant life. Their story is one of mistaken aspirations, unfulfilled wants, and broken dreams, but Steinbeck crafted a play that is very human, yet grand in scope and moral vision, out of their pain. The Grapes of Wrath is an impassioned ode to the human spirit's resilience and dignity, adapted into a classic film directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda.