As far back as can be traced (350 years+) my family lived and worked within walking distance of Asten, Nord Brabant, Netherlands. We survived through riches, poverty, plagues and world wars but in 1950 my entire family left everything behind and immigrated to Canada. 350 years of not travelling much more than a few kilometers in any direction followed by one massive trip of over 6000 km. This story is about my humble beginnings, my family, my life and the adventures that happened along the way. Starting with next to nothing and becoming successful in Canada, the land of opportunity.

About the Contributor(s): John Timmerman is a Professor of English and Creative Writing at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and is the author of twenty-four books, many of them for the Christian audience.

This is a new release of the original 1958 edition.

These short stories, written over several years and first published together in 1938, are set in Steinbeck's birthplace, the rolling Salinas Valley in California, a land of farms, ranches, sunny hills and distant mountains. Haunting and acutely observed, they explore the tensions between men and women, the individual and society, and humanity and the natural world. They include the chilling, prize-winning tale 'The Murder'; 'The Chrysanthemums', possibly his most ambitious story; the gritty lynch mob violence of 'The Vigilante'; and the classic 'Red Pony' tales. In these works Steinbeck developed new ways of storytelling, honing the artistry from which his great novels would emerge.