Of Mice and Men (1937) by John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men (1937) by John Steinbeck Unlike most people my age, for some reason I never had to read Of Mice and Men back in school - which is a shame because it’s an excellent book. Brief as it may be, the story is powerful, the characters are just dimensional enough to drive it, the themes penetrate every inch of the text, and the writing is beautiful. Steinbeck creates honesty in the dialogue, poetry in the descriptions, and a tastefulness in even the more crass and violent aspects of the novella. I see Of Mice and Men as an exploration of belonging - or more accurately, a lack of belonging, in a world at odds with its denizens. Candy is disabled in a world of physical labor. Crooks is black in a world of oppressive white men. And Lennie is brutally strong and painfully simple in a world so delicate and complex. Their situations are depressingly beyond their control, yet Steinbeck shines a ray of hope through community. He presents the idea that we can all find company wher...