East of Eden
	by John Steinbeck

"In a period when so many better writers exhausted themselves, he had welded himself into the life of the Salinas valley and enjoyed a spiritual stability by reporting the life cycles of the valley gardeners and mystics and adventurers, by studying and steeping himself in its growth processes out of a close and affectionate interest in the biology of human affairs. Steinbeck's absorption in the life of his native valley gave him a sympathetic perspective on the animal nature of human life, a means of reconciliation with people as people." -- Alfred Kazin, On Native Grounds (1942)

Additional Information

• Other internet reviews
  • Review by Sarah Needham
  • A Question of Good vs. Evil
• Biographical information about John Steinbeck
  • Guide to the California Novels by Ed Stephan
  • John Steinbeck Page by Scott Simkins
  • National Steinbeck Center Foundation
  • The Nobel Prize for Literature, 1962
    • Biography
    • Presentation Speech by Anders Österling
    • Acceptance Speech
• A bulletin board to post responses to my reviews
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