This is a very powerful book that's mostly about deceptive treasures - finding certain things that are out of reach to be of utmost importance, or getting to excited about material goods. I really liked how this book shows us that family and our own ways of life are to be appreciated and maintained for their sake, that we shouldn't cast aside the way we want to do things and pursue earthly treasures or the ways that others (in this book, the white folks) do things. Kinda like a story about pulling away from external pressures, and I can see how it could be looked at anew in the context of America pushing its culture around the world. Umm okay my imagination got a little too far out there... anyway, it's a really well written book, as I expect from Steinbeck, and it's short so it's easy to get wrapped up in from cover to cover, if you've got a couple hours.(less)