McParland provides a comprehensive overview of the life and work of John Steinbeck (1902–68). Yet, what makes this critical study different from other treatments of the novelist is the emphasis on what McParland calls 'the public value of Steinbeck’s work' and 'what readers today may discover in his stories.' The author is particularly interested in how teachers instruct their students to value the relevance of Steinbeck’s novels to their lives today, especially such classics as Of Mice and Men, The Red Pony, The Pearl, and The Grapes of Wrath. McParland’s work is up-to-date; he mentions the 2016 presidential debates and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to emphasize the pertinence of Steinbeck’s social and ecological views, and why it is important to teach his literature. The author analyzes not only Steinbeck’s fiction but also his nonfiction to illustrate how he addressed the controversies of his day. VERDICT This fascinating study is recommended to anyone curious about the significance of Steinbeck the man and the writer. For all library collections.

Library Journal

Polymath Robert McParland writes fiction, music, and literary criticism. His books have focused on American readers' response to such diverse writers as Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Joseph Conrad, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. In Citizen Steinbeck, McParland provides more than a review of how readers learn empathy and ethical practice from Steinbeck's work. In fact, this is a useful, respectable handbook on Steinbeck's life and writing, enhanced by ample notes and a scholarly bibliography. The book reviews screenplays, film adaptations, and readership controversies. Asking for a reappraisal of the Nobel Prize–winning author, McParland assesses Steinbeck's relevance in conjunction with contemporary concerns such as human rights, social justice, and global crisis. Particularly pertinent is McParland's discussion of a small town's resistance to Nazi occupation in Steinbeck's 1942 novella, The Moon Is Down. McParland's case for reviving Steinbeck should inspire teachers and professors to put Steinbeck back on the syllabus. A fine contribution to Rowman and Littlefield's ‘Contemporary American Literature’ series, this comprehensive treatment of Steinbeck's life and work is also a good reference tool.

Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers.

Choice Reviews

Citizen Steinbeckis an engaging read well worth exploring. It will likely prove equally rewarding to Steinbeck scholars, students, and general fans of modern American literature.

Journal of American Culture