"Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck

"John Ernst Steinbeck (February 27, Protected content December 20, Protected content ... won the Protected content Prize in Literature 'for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social perception'. He has been called 'a giant of American letters.'"

(from Wikipedia)

"A controversial tale of friendship and tragedy during the Great Depression

'A thriller, a gripping tale . . . that you will not set down until it is finished. Steinbeck has touched the quick.' —The New York Times

John Steinbeck's classic novella follows an unlikely pair: George is "small and quick and dark of face"; Lennie, a man of tremendous size, has the mind of a young child. Yet together they have formed a family, clinging to each other in the face of loneliness, and alienation, and hardship.

Laborers in California's dusty vegetable fields, they hustle work when they can, living a hand-to-mouth existence. For George and Lennie have a plan: to own an acre of land and a shack they can call their own. When they land jobs on a ranch in the Salinas Valley, the fulfillment of their dream seems to be within their grasp. But even George cannot guard Lennie..., nor predict the consequences of Lennie's unswerving obedience to the things George taught him."

(from Amazon.com)