Heaven's My Destination

A Novel

“If John Steinbeck’s mighty Grapes of Wrath is the tragic novel of the Great Depression, then Heaven’s My Destination is its comic masterpiece. —J.D. McClatchy

A hilarious tale about goodness in a fallen world, Heaven’s My Destination introduces George Marvin Brush, one of Thornton Wilder's most memorable characters. Brush, a traveling textbook salesman, is a fervent religious convert who is determined to lead a good life. With sad and sometimes hilarious consequences, his travels take him through smoking cars, bawdy houses, banks, and campgrounds from Texas to Illinois—and into the soul of Depression-era America itself.

This special edition includes an afterword by Wilder’s nephew, Tappan Wilder, with illuminating material about the author and book.

Copyright (c) 1934 by the Wilder Family L.L.C. Foreword copyright (c) 2003 by J. D. McClatchy. Afterword copyright (c) 2003 by Tappan Wilder.

All-American

I’m not sure there’s a book of fiction about life in America that is as unknown as this one but as all-American at the same time.

Hopeful. Optimistic. Dreamy. Idealistic. Generous. Questioning. A bit desperate. Challenging of norms and often the law. Escapist. Kind, but also somewhat angry and mean. Temperamental.

You get the idea.

Wilder was that early 20th century mix of realistic and yet romantic. The book couldn’t easily be classified. And yet it was successful. And proceeds on it allowed Wilder to write his better known and more understandable, Our Town.

This was a book I have never chosen before. I’m glad I did this time.