This product is no longer available. Steinbeck’s mother predicted that "John will either be a genius, or amount to nothing at all." Though his often-unflattering images of humanity provoked controversy and ire from California land owners all the way to the White House, Steinbeck went on to become a Nobel Prize winner and the most read American author around the world. Through interviews with scholars, friends, family members, and Steinbeck himself, the program chronicles Steinbeck’s love-hate relationship with his society upbringing, his experiences in Hollywood and on two war fronts, his tumultuous marriages, and his relentless pursuit of writing and examining the human condition. Grades 7 and up. Color. 50 minutes. A&E. ©1996.