The Grapes of Wrath was one of my favorite books growing up. However, the story is highly exaggerated. Not that those types of things never happened, but keep in mind, this was during the progressive era, where communist inklings were taking root throughout government causing the very problems that were at the root of the story. However, that point seems to be lost on its readers who yearn for the command and control state.
Yes, I know that there was a communist tinge to that erea. But there was a tinge to that era because this really happened. I knew the children of Oakies. And it has been amply documented in numerous sources.