This one has been on the back burner for what seems like 40 years. I’ve kept putting off because there was something more exciting to read than a dance marathon contest with some buried themes on the Depression
Holy smokes…. was I wrong. In 120 pages it describes the desperation and exploitation of the American economy and labor through a multi-weeks long dance marathon where the rules are constantly changing and rigged towards the best seat selling spectacle
The contestants are abused until they literally pass out and then shoved back into the fray after they’ve made enough of a recovery that they can stand up on their own. Meanwhile the dance teams all fight amongst themselves for sponsorships while dancing in a dirty ballroom built on a shakey pier
Like a lot of Steinbeck‘s works, the only thing different from today is the technology. The characters and exploitation remain the same. Just replace the dancers with ‘influencers’ or reality show contestants
by celtic1888