Topic: John Steinbeck

House of Earth

Woody Guthrie's novel, 60 years in coming, offers a fresh window into the past – and into Guthrie himself.

Why is Brazil the new America? Hint: water.

While the US farm belt is mining its groundwater, Brazil is expanding production and lowering the cost of raising food.

Tony Danza teaches: 6 stories from his year at a Philadelphia high school

From his new book 'I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had,' here are 6 stories from Tony Danza's time as a teacher.

Chapter & Verse Gore Vidal biography will be released in 2015

Vidal's close friend, author and academic Jay Parini, will write the biography.

Opinion: Studying the Bible in public schools can help US students 'win the future'

A critical study of the Bible as literature can prepare students with the thinking skills needed in the 21st century. As an all-time bestseller, the Bible has had a profound impact on history, literature, and culture. It remains a vital part of American life.

Lives and Letters

This essay collection by former New Yorker editor Robert Gottlieb pairs insights on art with a taste for scandal.

Saul Bellow: Letters

Saul Bellow’s letters may not be stylistic gems – but they reveal much about the man who wrote them.

Banned Books Week: Why these 10 classics got kicked out of class

Is this is a roundup of objectionable literature – or a Great Books roster? The same titles that some call great literature others find to be filthy, bad, or dangerous. Here are a handful of the often surprising – and sometimes downright baffling – reasons that objectors around the world wanted to ban these books.

Wait, bananas grow in Iceland?!

Natural steam vents turn a what would otherwise be a bleak subarctic island into a land of bananas. Too many bananas, in fact.

The e-book, the e-reader, and the future of reading

As stone tablets gave way the codex, the future of reading is digital – but will the e-reader and the e-book change the nature of how we read?

Beyond texting while driving: we're car crazy

Great Depression icon meets the great recession

A modern visit to the nonfictional Sallisaw, Okla. – home of the fictional ‘Grapes of Wrath’ Joads

Six Picks: Recommendations from the Monitor staff

Watch the world from the front page, dip into DJ'ing, savor Steinbeck's classic 'East of Eden' on DVD, and more.

American road trip

America's historic Route 66 fascinates visitors from other countries.

Barnes & Noble interview with Khaled Hosseini

Simple, savory sardines

A taste of the fish transports me to the scenic Maine coast where the last US cannery operates.

Just in time: Banned Books Week

Travels with Charley

Briefing: Lessons from past food crises

World leaders gather in Rome Tuesday for a UN food crisis conference. What does history teach about how to handle such shortages?

"The writer must remain invisible"

Elmore Leonard spells out his 10 cardinal rules for good writing.

Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Good Writing

Leave out adverbs, skip description, and keep the writer out of sight.