John Steinbeck banned the book from the county's publicly funded schools and libraries. It was burned in Salinas on two different occasions. In 2003, a school board in Mississippi banned it on the grounds of profanity. According to the American Library Association Steinbeck was one of the ten most frequently banned authors from 1990 to 2004, with "Of Mice and Men" ranking sixth out of 100 such books in the United States. The award of the 1962 Nobel Prize for Literature to Steinbeck was controversial in the United States. The award citation lauded Steinbeck "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as
Thomas Steinbeck Simon & Schuster published his first novel, "In the Shadow of the Cypress". His second novel, "The Silver Lotus", was released in November 2011 by Counterpoint Press. Steinbeck contributed to the "My California Project", a collection of short stories written by 27 California authors. Sales from the book were used to help save the struggling California Arts Council. This book went into three printings, and the project helped the Arts Council to reach its goal of financial solvency. In addition to his writing and producing, Steinbeck was an active public speaker and teacher, who often lectured on American literature, creative