In the book The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck writes about a family's trip from Oklahoma to California in search of meaningful work. The "Dust Bowl" of the 1920's caused the Joad family to migrate to California in the 1920's. The "Dust Bowl" was responsible for most small farmers from Texas to South Dakota to lose their farms. A combination of drought, improper crop rotation, and dust storms were the major causes of the "Dust Bowl" because all the land was ruined and all the crops were ruined. Unable to produce crops, the farmers were forced off their land by banks that foreclosed on their loans. The "Dust Bowl" occurred just before the Great Depression and there was very little work left in this part of the United States. However, there were handbills that were passed out saying that there were many jobs available in California and urged people to head west. The Joads were one of the families that were forced off there land; this is the reason they headed west to California. .
Based on these handbills thousands of families traveled west to California in search of work and a better life. The promise of abundant work in California proved to be false and most of the migrants suffered from starvation or were working for very low wages. Very few made enough money to feed a large family. The Grapes of Wrath brought out the true story of the migrants trek to California. From abuses by local police departments to farm owners taking advantage of the migrants by pushing down wages, there were many things that occurred that countered the belief that California was the .
answer to their dreams. This book did not get a favorable reception in California because it showed the real way people were treated and it made the people of California look bad. Initially, the book was outlawed in California because people saw the book as a false piece of literature instead of facing the facts about what really was occurring.