Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (Paperback)

Steinbeck tells the classic story of three days in the lives of two migrant workers, Lennie Small and George Milton. Lennie, a simple-minded giant who doesn't know his own strength, wants only to settle down with his friend on a small farm where he will be allowed to feed the animals. When he inadvertently kills first a puppy then a woman who is the wife of the brutal ranch owner where Lennie and George find work, George kills him in a humane act of love before the unfortunate Lennie is hounded to his death. Steinbeck's sympathy for the plight of the downtrodden, and especially for exploited migrant workers like Lennie and George, is powerfully expressed in this novel.