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was born on February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California, a farming community with of about 2500 people. He was the third of four children and the only son of John Ernst and Olive Hamiton Steinbeck. His sisters Beth and Esther were much older than John and he felt ....

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.... he generally disliked, but one bright spot in his high school carrer was his ninth grade English teacher, Miss Cupp. She admired the compositions he wrote and encouraged him to continue with his writing. Throughout high school, John spent most of his free time writing stories in his room. John graduated from HS in 1919 and then went to Stanford University. John wanted to study to be a writer, but his mother wanted him to be something practical, like a lawyer. While attending Stanford University, decided that a degree was of no use to a writer. Instead, he studied the things that interested him and would help him progress as a writer. He s ....