Dedicated to Mrs. Crowder
The only teacher who can give me this big of a project
and wont inspire hatred in me.

This book was created and published on StoryJumper™

Publish your own children's book:

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During the 1930's, a
drought led to massive loss of crops
in parts of the southern Great Plains.

The soil was loose and huge dust storms blew
across the area, at times
blocking out the sun.The areas affected
became known as the “Dust Bowl.” This is a story
of what happened to one of the families.

There was once a family, the Joad Family, who lived in a town near Sallisaw, Ok.
They lost their farm.
There was Connie, Rose of Sharron, Pa, Ma, Winfield, Ruthie, Granma, Granpa, Al, and Noah.
Tom was also part of the family, but he was in jail.
They were all kicked out and they left to live with Uncle John.
Their plan was to move to California to find a job and a better life.
Meanwhile, Tom Joad was freed from prison, but was on parole.
He was on his way home and didn't know what happened.

There was a turtle who was crossing a road.
He slowly walked and a car appeared.
The woman inside it moved her car to not hit
him. Then a young man with a truck drove
toward him to run him over. The truck nicked
him and the turtle flipped and flew to the side of the road.
"Lying on its back, the turtle was tight in it's shell for a long time.
The turtle struggled to get upright and continued his journey.

Tom was walking home when he ran into an old friend. "Why, you're
the preacher," Tom said. The old friend was Jim Casy. Casy explained that
he wasn't a preacher anymore. They took some time to catch up on things.
Tom told him he was away for 4 years in jail.
Casy asked, "..you ain't heard nothin' about your folks for four years?" Tom said
he hadn't. He told him that he was headed home and Casy asked if he could go with
him. Tom agreed and both left. When they saw the house, they saw it looked deserted.

Meanwhile, other farmers were being kicked off their homes. Men would go to
the farms and tell the families that the bank wanted them out. They'd ask, "But if we go,
where'll we go?" and they were told to go to California. The men who told them they needed
to leave would apologize and say it was the Bank's orders. The families would be afraid and angry
but they would leave. Soon they all packed and left their homes. They left in search of jobs and
a better future.

Tom and Casy found the house empty. Tom didn't
know what happened. Then they saw a familiar face,
Muley Graves. Tom asked him to explain what had happened.
Muley said that the farmers were kicked off their land, including
himself, by the bank. Tom asked about where his family could be.
Muley said, "They're all at your Uncle John's." Muley explained
that his family had left to California and he stayed behind. Tom asked if they
could stay with him and Muley accepted them. They ate some freshly
killed rabbits and slept in a cave Muley stayed in. Tom would go to his
uncle's house the next day.

Meanwhile, the farmers planning to move to California. Some farmers,
however, realized that they had no way of going if they did not buy a car.
They flocked to the used cars shops. The salesmen would persuade the farmers
to buy cars that weren't really good at a high price. The farmers paid it anyway,
because they needed to get to California. The salesman would say, "Goin' to
California? Here's jus' what you need." The farmers would buy the bad cars and
go, on their way to California.

Tom and Casy finally arrived at Uncle John's home. The family was glad
to see Tom again. He explained that he was on parole. His other siblings,
Winfield and Ruthie are in town with Uncle John. He learns that his sister,
Rose of Sharon, is married to Connie and pregnant. "Rosasharn was just a little kid.
An' now she's gonna have a baby. So...much happens in four years if you're a way,"
exclaimed Tom. He learns that his family is planning on moving west,
once they have the money.

Meanwhile, farmers needed money. To move to California
they needed to find a way to make money.
One of the fast ways they did that was to sell or pawn their belongings.
They'd load all their stuff and take it to a local broker, but the brokers were
ruthless. The farmers gave all their precious belongings for outrageously
low prices. They never made enough money. "And the tenant men came
walking back, hands in their pockets, hats pulled down." They couldn't
do anything about it.

They begin to prepare to leave. Pa goes off to try to sell some things at a pawn
shop, however, he only earns 18 dollars. The family is worried that California may
not turn out to be wonderful, but they are still determined to go. It is decided that
Casy will go with them to California. All the things are packed an loaded on the truck.
When it's time to leave, Granpa doesn't want to go, "I'll jus' stay right here where
I b'long," Granpa said. Tom decided to give him something to calm him down
and put him to sleep. As soon as Granpa dozed off, they lifted him up to the truck
and began their journey.

The vacant farms weren't left completely alone. Everyday, a man with a tractor would
plow the field mindlessly. They didn't care about the land, just, the money they were
earning. Everyday they'd drive a tractor over the land and then go home, without thinking
once about the land or even caring for it like the land's past owners did. And the houses
would crumble and were taken over by nature. "And on windy nights the doors banged,
and the ragged curtains fluttered in the broken windows."

All the farmers took highway 66. "66 the long concrete path across the country."
The journey, however, isn't easy. Many times their cars and trucks would break
down. They'd have to stop at service stations and look for a mechanic. Even with
all the stores and shops, they were still met with hostility. Many thought that the
farmers would steal their products. They thought that they were bad people and
that, that was the reason for their state. The farmers would watch their money
dwindle as shopkeepers would cheat them. Prices hiked up and the farmers had
no other choice, but to pay. There were still good people that helped them and the farmers
helped each other get on.

Al drives the truck down highway 66. The family is grieving, because Granpa had passed away.
They did meet some nice people, the Wilsons, Ivy and Sairy Wilson who helped bury Granpa.
The Joad family, in return, fixed their car and asked them to drive along with them. "Wouldn' be
a burden on you folks?" Sairy asked. "Wouldn't be no burden at all. You'd be helpin' us," said Pa.
So, they all drove together down highway 66. They promised to help each other out over every
obstacle to reach California. The only problem was Sairy who was ill. Her health, she hoped,
wouldn't interfere with their journey.

Meanwhile, farmers became migrants. These migrants started to camp next to
the road and begin settlements. The migrants began to live together and help
each other. The westerners, however, begin to fear this union. "The Western
States nervous under the beginning change." They feared that hungry migrants
united would become strong. Strong enough to stage revolts.

In a coffee shop, Mae, the waitress, loves to have truckers. Truckers leave the biggest tip.
She knows how to run the shop and how to act. She's friendly with all the truckers. One day
a man and a little boy, migrants, walked in and ask for some water. Mae's annoyed but says
yes. They walk back in and ask to be sold some bread. Mae refuses at first, but the cook, Al,
tells her to sell the bread for ten cents. Then Mae notices that the boys are starring at two long
sticks of striped peppermint. The man asks for the price and Mae says, "..them's two for a
penny." The man buys two and they leave. The truckers then say their goodbyes. Mae picks up
the tips and is surprised to find two half dollars.

The family continued their journey with only one interruption. The Wilson's car broke down, so
the family waited until Tom and Al fixed it. They stayed at a camp at the side of the road.
They met a man who told them something disturbing. He told them that he came from
California, because there wasn't any good paying work over there. "Somepin it took me a year
to find out. Took two kids dead, took my wife dead to show me," the man said. This left the
family worried. Casy, however, reassured them. He said that things could go differently for them.

Meanwhile, the migrants began to band together in camps. They helped each other and built
communities with their own social rules. "Twenty families became one family." Everyone was
welcome, but just in case, newcomers would always ask for permission to stay. They shared their
stories and became friends. They became united and not only just migrants, because they were
migrants together. Then, the next morning, they continued on their way.

The Joad family finally made it to California. However, they weren't met with luscious
valleys, they were met with a desert. The family camped and met more people who were
returning to their homes from California. They told them that California's wages were low
and that they weren't welcomed. They were all called "Okies". They decided to continue
their journey, but without Noah, because he decided not to continue the journey. On the
road, Grandma passed. There money is running low, "We sure ain't bringin' nothin' with us,
Tom pointed out.

California once belonged to Mexico. It was taken by hungry American squatters who believed
they owned the land, because they farmed it. The landowners in the 30's are their descendants.
They fear the migrants, because they may believe that the land is theirs, because they farmed it.
All the farmers want, however, are good wages. They don't wish for large amounts of land. Of
course they'd wish for a small piece of land to farm in, but they don't wish for much. The land
owners guarded their land and prohibited for migrants to plant anything, even in empty fields. "The
land fell into fewer hands, the number of the dispossessed increased, and every effort of the great
owners was directed at repression."

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Dedicated to Mrs. Crowder
The only teacher who can give me this big of a project
and wont inspire hatred in me.

This book was created and published on StoryJumper™

Publish your own children's book:

www.storyjumper.com

During the 1930's, a
drought led to massive loss of crops
in parts of the southern Great Plains.

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Excessive Violence
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"The Grapes of Wrath"

julieLoLz

The Joad family, affected by the Dust Bowl, lose their farm and decide to move to California for a better life. The journey is fraught with hardships, including death, poverty, and hostility from locals. Despite the struggles, they remain hopeful and united.

(33 pages)

Privacy level: PUBLIC

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