Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck wrote so many great novels, it's hard to choose the best - but this may be the most accessible. Uploaded by altrocklive.com.
It’s one of the saddest stories in American literature. Of Mice and Men, a John Steinbeck novella, deals with friendship, race, loneliness, and love. Seems like everyone reads this in high school, or at least they used to before the American school day got filled with conflict resolution, self-esteem building, and protection against bullying.
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Okay, that was a little cynical. But while I’m being this way, let me fuss about something else (I’ll get back to Of Mice and Men in a moment, promise.) In the past, some folks have had issues with this book, based on its language, racial storyline, and euthanasia. But when was the last time you heard any challenge to this classic? Even so, the American Library Association has it as the fourth-most-challenged book of the 21st Century. The ALA likes to stoke this particular fire, despite the fact that almost no one cares. But they feel they need to make us rally around a nonexistent problem. Don’t we have enough real concerns these days, ALA?
Okay, the book. Of Mice and Men has been almost universally praised, and is regarded as one of Steinbeck’s finest works. Hard to make that choice, though, because I think Steinbeck stands alone in the simple quantity of excellent books he wrote. He was a genius, and perhaps America’s greatest writer ever.