This term you will be writing a book report on a John Steinbeck story. John Steinbeck was a Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning
American novelist and the author of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath, and East of Eden. Steinbeck dropped out of college and
worked as a manual laborer before achieving success as a writer. His works often dealt with social and economic issues. His 1939
novel, The Grapes of Wrath, about the migration of a family from the Oklahoma Dust Bowl to California, won a Pulitzer Prize and a
National Book Award. Steinbeck served as a war correspondent during World War Il, and he was awarded the Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1962.
Lucky for us, all his titles are not public domain, which means you can find all of his texts online for free. I used the Internet Archive E
,but you are free to use whichever search engine you prefer. I have provided a list of appropriate titles, as they must have a Califoriia
theme.
While reading your selected text, keep track of the major characters, and how they have interacted with the environment in which
they work/live. These books all take place in California, so as you read through the book, research the time period, research the region
in which this text takes place and understand its geography (such as Cannery Row). When reading, however, look for the main ideas
and be ready to discuss them.
• Locations: Where does this story take place? What is the general time period? What is the general topography, or landscape… and
does that help the story?
• Applying In-Course Lecture: Throughout the term, we have and will discuss many topics, such as ethnicity, economics, agriculture,
and others. How can you bring in the learned knowledge to better understand the story you are reading– or use that knowledge to
understand why this story was written.
• Characters: Who are the main characters? What happens to them? Did you like them? Were there good and bad characters?
• Main Ideas: What is the main idea of the book? What happens? What did you learn that you did not know before?
• Quotes: What parts did you like best? Are there parts that you could quote to make your report more enjoyable?
When You Are Ready to Write
Announce the book and author. Then, summarize what you have learned from the book. Explain what happens in the book, and
discuss the elements you liked, did not like, would have changed, or if you would recommend this book to others and why. Consider
the following items as well:
• Principles/Characters: What elements did you like best? Which characters did you like best and why? How does the author unfold
the story or the main idea of the book?
• Organize: Make sure that most of your paper summarizes the work. Then you may analyze the characters or themes of the work.
• Your Evaluation: Choose one or a few points to discuss the book. What worked well for you? How does this work compare with
others by the same author or other books in the same genre? What major themes, motifs, or terms does the book introduce, and
how effective are they? Did the book appeal to you in an emotional or logical way?
Do a quick double-check of your paper:
• The length requirement is at least 1,250 words, 1.5 spacing, and the font of your choice. The bibliography should be in place if you
use outside resources and/or quote the book. Double-check the spelling of the author’s name(s), character names, special terms,
and publisher.
• Check the punctuation and grammar slowly.
• Make sure you provide enough summary so that your reader or instructor can tell you read the book.
• Consider adding some interesting quotes from the reading.
• Lastly, make sure that your paper has incorporated the knowledge learned in this course- how has the geography of California
influenced this writing? How has learning about the geography of California helped explain some details, regions, and history from
the book?
Now You Are Ready to Submit Your Paper!
Turnltin Scoring
• As a guide, a returned percentage of below 15% would probably indicate that plagiarism has not occurred.
• However, if the 15% of matching text is one continuous block, this could still be considered plagiarism.
• A high percentage would probably be anything over 25% (Yellow, Orange or red).
• Any paper with the color of Orange or Red can lose up to 30 points, but a paper that receives any score over 50% will receive a
zero.
