John Steinbeck
overview
At once a persistently fast-paced, finely observed novel about societal unrest and a story about a young man's quest for identity, The Unrest is a novel about a young man's struggle for identity. In Dubious Battle, a strike by migrant labourers against predatory landlords spins out of control in California apple country, as principled disobedience turns into fanatical fanaticism. Jim Nolan, a once aimless man who finds himself in the middle of the strike, momentarily becomes its leader, and is ultimately crushed in its service, is caught up in the chaos.