** spoiler alert ** 
 I enjoyed this book as much as this time as when I first read it 30+ years ago! It's such a beautiful book. 
 The fundamental importance of treating people with dignity and respect comes through in this story so strongly. Not because they may otherwise rebel, but because it is just the right thing to do. Ignoring the basic needs of people - food, shelter, hygiene - is to dehumanize them, which is one of the most appalling scenarios I can imagine. 
 The greed of wealthy people in the story is disgusting. More than that, the willful and intentional destruction of food when people are starving is criminal. Descriptions of dumping chemicals on food that cannot be sold for a profit or food that would bring down profit margins were so difficult to read. 
 Also tough to take were the descriptions of people dying, either because they lost the will to live, because they crossed men paid to enforce the status quo or because they don't have enough to eat. That this was allowed to happen was shameful. Balanced against this was the hope and generosity of many people who had lost so much. The families in the camps who shared what they had with others were inspirational. 
 The relative ease in which the Californians turned against the Okies was a tale of caution. The migrants were considered by some to be a sub-species! So much of this book is sadly still relevant - the immigration debates, the health care debates, the economic downturn's impact on families ... and on and on. Remembering our shared humanity and the need for basic decency is important for us all - poor, wealthy and everyone in between. 
 Before the re-read, I'd have given this a 5/5; after the re-read, I give it ... 5/5!