Mad at the World: A Life of John Steinbeck

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Mad at the World: A Life of John Steinbeck is a biographical book about John Steinbeck by William Souder which was published on 13 October 2020 by W. W. Norton. [1]

Contents

Background

William Souder spent months in Steinbeck's native California researching for the book, including time at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, Center for Steinbeck Studies at San Jose State University, the Steinbeck Collection at Stanford University. At the National Steinbeck Center, he transcribed for the first time hours of interviews of Salinas locals who had known Steinbeck personally. [2]

Critical reception and review

Scott Pugh of Steinbeck Review wrote, "to my eye, the background descriptions of history, geography, and politics in Mad at the World are barely informative at best", [3] Sam Sacks of The Wall Street Journal wrote, "Mad at the World is condensed, clear and readable." [4] and Mary Ann Gwinn of Star Tribune wrote, "In this vivid biography, Minnesota writer William Souder brings John Steinbeck to great, prickly, tormented life." [5]

The book has been also reviewed by Brenda Wineapple of The New York Times Book Review , [6] Gavin Jones, Humanities Professor at Stanford University, [7] Alexander C. Kafka of The Washington Post , [8] Wendy Smith of The Boston Globe [9] and Claire Lowdon of The Times . [10]

Awards

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References

  1. ↑ Souder, William (2020-10-13). Mad at the World: A Life of John Steinbeck. WW Norton. ISBN   978-0-393-29226-8.
  2. ↑ Robson, Britt (Winter 2019). "Life Stories". Minnesota Alumni. University of Minnesota Alumni Association. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  3. ↑ Pugh, Scott (2021). "Mad at the World: A Life of John Steinbeck by William Souder (review)". Steinbeck Review. 18 (1): 93–96. doi:10.5325/steinbeckreview.18.1.0093. ISSN   1938-6214. S2CID   242463995 – via Project MUSE.
  4. ↑ Sacks, Sam. "'Mad at the World: A Life of John Steinbeck' Review: The Poison Cup of Gold". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  5. ↑ Gwinn, Mary Ann. "REVIEW: 'Mad at the World: A Life of John Steinbeck,' by William Souder". Star Tribune . Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  6. ↑ Wineapple, Brenda (2020-10-06). "John Steinbeck, Bard of the American Worker". The New York Times Book Review . ISSN   0028-7806 . Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  7. ↑ Jones, Gavin (2021-11-01). "Review: Mad at the World: A Life of John Steinbeck, by William Souder". California History. 98 (4): 126–128. doi:10.1525/ch.2021.98.4.126. ISSN   0162-2897. S2CID   244083375 – via University of California Press.
  8. ↑ Kafka, Alexander C. "John Steinbeck and biographer William Souder make a perfect pair". The Washington Post .
  9. ↑ Smith, Wendy. "Reconsidering John Steinbeck in 'Mad at the World'". The Boston Globe . Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  10. ↑ Lowdon, Claire. "Mad at the World by William Souder, review — the remarkable life of John Steinbeck". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  11. ↑ Pineda, Dorany (2021-04-17). "Winners of the 2020 L.A. Times Book Prizes announced". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2021-04-17.
  12. ↑ "Best Books 2020 in Non Fiction". Publishers Weekly . Retrieved 2023-02-10.
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