She Shared Her Notes with John Steinbeck. It was Her Novel’s Undoing
- Sanora Babb worked on her novel about Dust Bowl migrants while documenting their lives at a camp in the 1930s.
- John Steinbeck published 'The Grapes of Wrath' in April 1939, using Babb's notes and gaining immense acclaim.
- Babb's own manuscript was overshadowed by Steinbeck's success, leading to the cancellation of her contract and leaving her story untold.
Sanora Babb was deeply immersed in the struggles faced by those fleeing the Dust Bowl in the United States during the 1930s. Working at a migrant camp, she documented their hardships while writing a novel about two families seeking a better life in California. Her notes caught the attention of John Steinbeck, who was inspired to write ‘The Grapes of Wrath,’ using Babb's insights extensively. This resulted in a commercial success for Steinbeck's book, ultimately leading to the cancellation of Babb’s own book contract. Despite her dedication and connection to the subject, she found herself overshadowed by the acclaim of Steinbeck's work, which sold hundreds of thousands of copies and won the Pulitzer Prize. Babb’s manuscript was rendered almost irrelevant, as her editor questioned who would read her story after Steinbeck’s had dominated the narrative of the migrant experience.