Times are changing, mister. Don't you know?

It's the first true post of Laura's Grapes of Wrath readalong. At least the first post after we've all read some of the book. Everyone depressed yet?
OK so, I started this post as I was reading. And then I apparently thought I finished the post so last night I didn't bother to check it or anything. A new episode of Hoarders was on so yeah, I had some really important stuff going on. Anyway, instead of doing a nicely composed piece, here are a bunch of bullet points!

-There are so many things I did not remember/didn't notice when I read this in high school which proves that public school totally misses the things that they should point out when reading a book, if you want the class to pay attention to the important things.*

- Preacher goes on and on about banging young, virginal church girls. How did I miss this the first time around?

- A pig eats a baby. Seriously, wtf? And it's just mentioned like "Oh yeah, we make sure to keep the gate closed cos last time it was open a pig got out and ate the neighbor's baby. It made her go a little crazy, but it's like, 'Get over it already'. Anyway, yeah, keep that gate closed"

- I really like those in between chapters not about the Joads. Not that I DISLIKE the Joad stuff and I think an entire book written like those "in between" chapters (which prob have a fancy name that I don't know) would be painful to read after awhile, but this macro-view of the time is so powerful.

- I would never have made it during this era. I don't know how to do anything Ma & co have to do.

- This is how you do dialect in a book. I'm still not crazy about it but at least I can understand what's being said without having to read it out loud (which is awkward on the subway). I get a feeling for the tone and speech of the Joads while not impeding the story. Kudos, Mr. Steinbeck. Kudos.
- I seriously remember NOTHING of this book. Nothing. I thought maybe something would come back but no. It's like I blocked it entirely.

- Can someone smarter/less lazy than me explain the turtle?

- I haven't cried yet but this is already so depressing. I fear for what's coming.

*That said, I feel teachers who DO point these things out are the same teachers that get yelled at for corrupting kids and then those books get banned. That's how banned books happen, isn't it?

Title quote from page 50

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. Penguin, 1992. Originally published 1939.