John Ernst Steinbeck was an American author, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humour and keen social perception" in 1962. Most of Steinbeck's work is set in central California, particularly in the Salinas Valley and the California Coast Ranges region. His works frequently explored the themes of fate and injustice, especially as applied to downtrodden or everyman protagonists. In 1936, Steinbeck published the first of what came to be known as his Dustbowl trilogy, which included Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath. This first novel tells the story of a fruit pickers' strike in California which is both aided and damaged by the help of "the Party," generally taken to be the Communist Party, although this is never spelt out in the book. Jim Nolan meets Harry Nilson who initiates Jim's application process to become the newest member of the Party. Harry determines that Jim will be a good candidate and brings him to a house to meet his new posse: Mac, the brains and brawn, Dick, seducer extraordinaire and procurer of funds, and Joy, zealot and punching bag. Mac "Doc" McLeod, the Party organizer, tells Jim they will go to the Torgas Valley in an attempt to rouse the two thousand fruit tramps against the Growers' Association, and to encourage the strike to spillover into the cotton fields in Tandale… Enjoy free online English audiobook “In Dubious Battle”, a breathtaking novel by John Steinbeck.
