Friday, June 21, 2002
East Bay Edition

CALIFORNIA STORIES: There is but one book on Gov. Gray Davis' public reading list this summer, and it's not even banned (like the books on the UC summer reading list I wrote about last week).

"The Grapes of Wrath" is the timeless and universal tale of the Joad family's journey from the Dust Bowl of the Midwest to the orange groves of California.

First lady Sharon Davis described John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning story as a metaphor for the journey of many people to the Golden State.

Approximately half of California residents were born outside the state.

Because of its unique place in American literature, the novel was selected as the subject for a statewide program that will offer discussion groups and events at libraries and community centers across the state.

About 142 libraries, including those in Oakland, Fremont and El Cerrito, will take part in the program, which coincides with the 100th anniversary of the writer's birth.

E-mail Chip Johnson at cjohnson@sfchronicle.com.