Well, well, well... what about the start of "The grapes of wrath"? Steinbeck presents a dramatic situation in the deep countryside of the USA. One of the main issues is the land and the attachment to people, to a family, that is a universal situation, isn't it? What about the role of banks? It does sound too familiar... It is striking, it was written over 70 years ago!
So far, I am loving it! I found every chapter more fascinating than the previous one. Intense characters,sharp descriptions, deep reflections.
ReplyDeleteNot only this book has been on my ‘To-Read’ list for a while, but also I recently attended a conference on Sustainability. They talked about a phenomenon I hadn’t heard of before: the Dust Bowl. Then I realized this is what this book is about. The Dust Bowl forced thousands of Americans to leave their homes and this exodus was the largest migration in American history within a short period of time. This catastrophe pushed the U.S. government to consider soil conservation and ecological balance a vital issue. Thus, the U.S. Government created the Soil Conservation Service, still in place to this day. I see this as an interesting fact, not only because it gives us an idea how important it is to take care of our land but also we might think that conservation/sustainability is a new concept recently invented.
Chapter 5 is powerful and truthful. It is remarkable how closely it describes today’s situation. Do we ever learn from mistakes? Not at all!
It gives me the creeps when I read: “We’ve got a bad thing made by men, and by God that is something we can change”. I couldn’t agree more. I have the same feeling when I hear in the media about ‘the markets’… who are the markets but people?? This is not like an earthquake that we cannot control, this is something humankind created and should be able to revert. And it is probably possible; the only problem is that some powerful organizations/enterprises are not keen on any changes.
It is incredible how this book, at least the beginning, is describing a situation that could be today! Amazing, we thought we had improved much since the 30's, but well, we are not that far in the basics... yes, we have computers and online reading clubs, but we are still in the same game, "the markets", "the banks"... it gives me the creeps as well Arantxa! Something somewhere, we are not doing right, as a society I mean... I watched the movie some time ago, really interesting as well, maybe on my list again once I finish the book. I had already heard about the Dust Bowl, yes, extreme conditions, it makes me think of Bangladesh, where they know that almost every year they are going to be flooded, not much they can do... Let's see what happens when the family start their trip to California, to pick oranges or grapes. Doesn't this sound a lot of what people in Africa probably think now about coming to Europe to work (many of them picking fruits as well) thinking that there is work for everybody and that there is so much abundance, that everyone lives comfortably?
ReplyDeleteSo true, Rocio! History repeats. People looking for a better life in a paradise that does not exist or if it does, it is not open for them. I can't wait to find out how their hopes in California end, but given the title of the book, I am not optimistic.
ReplyDeleteThe movie is on my list too.
In the last weeks it has been tricky for me to find the time to read. However, Rocio and Arantxa's comments made me really want to find that time. And so worth the effort. I am liking the book very much. I had not heard about the Dust Bowl and it was very interesting to learn about it. The story was unknown for me, but at the same time, so familiar. The descriptions are so vivid that I could feel the suffocation while reading.
ReplyDeleteAlthough there are many great quotes and sentences, I would like to share one that touched me:
After the dust ruins the crops.
"Men were silent... And the women came out of the houses to stand beside their men - to feel whether this time the men would break".