I had been listening to Bruce Springsteen’s Ghost of Tom Joad album for years when I started this novel. I had no idea that Tom Joad was a character from this book! Seriously. 

The book has one of the most memorable opening chapters I’ve ever read. I read it at work during a break and then walked to an appointment with headphones on listening to Springsteen. It was a spiritual moment. 

There’s something about Steinbeck’s prose that moves me as nobody else has. It’s not something I can put my finger on or pin down, but it’s there, almost like it’s the closest thing to pure art that I’ve ever encountered. Perhaps it just resonates with my soul. That’s not meant so sound cliched or pretentious, it’s the straight up, God’s honest truth. It’s like these words on the page can help me to feel better.