John Ernst Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California on February 27,1902. His mother, Olive, was a school teacher in Big Sur, California, before she married John's father. After they were married the family moved to Salinas in 1894, Where John Sr. became the manager of the Sperry Flour Mill and later went on to serve as the treasurer of Monterey County. His mother became a stay-at-home mom and taught John how to read and write. John's father recognized his talents at a young age and both parents strongly encouraged him in his dream to become a writer. ("John Steinbeck-, -John Steinbeck Biography-).
As a boy, John grew up in a middle class family. He had to earn all of his own money while in school. He worked on ranches during the summer and also delivered papers on his bicycle. When he was growing up he was shy. He was often teased for his large ears. He most often resorted to reading books rather than retaliating and getting into fights with other children. In 1915 John enrolled in Salinas high school. While in high school he often wrote stories and anonymously sent them in to magazines. He was the president of his senior class and was one of 24 graduates for that year. Steinbeck enrolled into Stanford University in 1919. His attendance was a little .
rough. He attended Stanford on and off for six years. He finally left Stanford in 1925, without a degree. ("John Steinbeck- , "John Steinbeck Biography-).
John also did other work during the summers and other times he was away from college. He worked as a farm laborer, where he sometimes lived in the farm bunkhouses with the migrants. After he left Stanford in 1925 he began to work on a freighter which took him to New York City. He started working construction and then later on to being a reporter for "The American-. He was making twenty-five dollars a week as a reporter, but he got fired because his reports were not objective enough for them.