The Steinbeck family is best known for their roles in John Steinbeck's novel, The Grapes of Wrath. The Joads are the main family featured in the novel, and the patriarch of the family is named Joad. The Joads are a poor family from Oklahoma who are forced to leave their home due to the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. They travel to California in search of a better life, but find that the situation there is not much better.