Of Mice and Men (1937)

A patch of land matters differently when a reader recognises the insecurity of relying on the next job. Steinbeck’s short, scene-driven novel makes George and Lennie’s dream concrete before its pressures tighten. The dialogue and dramatic construction reward reading for pace as well as ideas. Racial slurs and its treatment of disability and women deserve attention; familiarity from school does not make those representations neutral.