The moral philosophy of John Steinbeck /

According to George (Brigham Young Univ., coeditor in chief of The Steinbeck Review, and executive director of The New Steinbeck Society of America Web site), the 13 essays in this compilation are intended to rectify a "glaring deficiency": the belief that Steinbeck "has not been rigorously examined or fully appreciated as a contributor to moral philosophy." The contributors argue that "in many ways [Steinbeck was] the conscience of America. He was, as well, a moral philosopher who probed deeper than nearly any other American writer the contours of individual and societal ethics." Indeed, these essays "portray Steinbeck--the continual seeker for truth and goodness--as ... unabashedly optimistic about the moral perfectibility of man." Part 1, "Steinbeck and Moral Philosophy," explores Steinbeck's own moral philosophy, probing such topics as business ethics, utilitarianism, and what contributor Barbara Heavilin calls an "existential vacuum." Part 2, "Ethical Explorations of Steinbeck's Fiction," looks at the ways Steinbeck's moral philosophy manifests itself in his works, with most emphasis on Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath, and East of Eden. Although the essayists occasionally overstate their case, this is an exciting book, yielding fresh, interesting new readings. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Lower-/upper-division undergraduates; graduate students; general readers. M. W. Price Grove City College