Tobacco Road

About “Tobacco Road”

Tobacco Road is a 1932 novel by Erskine Caldwell that portrays the struggles of the poor Lester family in Georgia. Before the Great Depression, the family was already living in extreme poverty as sharecroppers. When the economic crisis hits, they fall deeper into hardship as the community that once supported them is also affected. The family members, including Jeeter and his wife Ada, fail to support one another and instead succumb to the violence and breakdown of society around them. The novel was banned and burned upon its release and is a harsh look at how poverty affects human dignity. It is considered a significant work of political fiction.