Top 10 "on the move" books

Segun Afolabi was born in Nigeria and brought up in the Congo, Canada and Japan. His stories have been published in various literary journals including Granta, the London Magazine, Wasafiri and the Edinburgh Review. He was awarded the Caine Prize for African Writing 2005 for his short story, 'Monday Morning'. His collection of stories, A Life Elsewhere, including the prize-winning story, was published in 2006. Afolabi's novel, Goodbye Lucille, followed in 2007.

In 2005 he named his top ten "on the move" books for the Guardian. One title on the list:

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

The story of the Joad family from Oklahoma, driven off their farm due to soil erosion. They, along with thousands of other migrants, are forced to journey west in search of the promised land - California. A tale of the struggle between the powerful and the powerless, of hopes dashed and broken dreams, and of the search for a place to call home.

Read about another book on the list.

The Grapes of Wrath also appears on Mark O'Connell's list of the ten best songs based on books, John Kerry's list of five books on progressivism, Stephen King's five best list of books on globalization, John Mullan's list of ten of the best pieces of fruit in literature, and Honor Blackman's six best books list. It is one of Frederic Raphael's top ten talkative novels.

--Marshal Zeringue