Growing up in a California still in the after-glow of 60's idealism, I saw the world as a place always moving forward, getting better. By the mid seventies I began to realize that society often takes as many steps back as forward. And that moving means making sure we all move forward together. Then I read The Grapes of Wrath which beautifully puts the arc of human, social, and political experiences upon wonderful display. Gradually expanding the experience of the Joad family from the intimate to communal living and how we really all depend on each other. From it's ending, I have carried hope forward. Fantastic!