From its first printing, The Grapes of Wrath enjoyed immediate and widespread commercial success. Advanced sales of the novel shot it onto the national bestseller list where it was to stay throughout 1939 and 1940. Although mass circulation reviewers complained of its unconventional structure and downcast ending, the novel garnered a number of awards, including a Pulitzer Prize.
However, not everyone was convinced of the novel's brilliance. The book was attacked vehemently in both California and Oklahoma, labeled in one magazine editorial as communist propaganda. In Kern County, California, the Board of Supervisors banned The Grapes of Wrath in both schools and libraries. The San Bernardino Sun said, "the fallacy of this [story] should not be dignified by a denial." Most of the negative energy in Oklahoma was targeted at discrediting Steinbeck's portrayal of the state and its inhabitants. An article in The Oklahoma City Times, titled "Grapes of Wrath? Obscenity and Inaccuracy," was typical of the reaction in that state. In retrospect, it is probable that many people were ashamed by both the terrible dilemma of the migrant families and the inhumane treatment they received from society. Much like the German citizens who refused to believe in the existence of the Nazi death camps, a denial of the truth of the social situation could be viewed as an attempt to lessen their own culpability.
