John Steinbeck 
To a God Unknown 

While fulfilling his dead father»s dream of creating a prosperous farm in California, Joseph Wayne comes to believe that a magnificent tree on the farm embodies his father»s spirit. His brothers and their families share in Joseph»s prosperity andthe farm flourishes — until one brother, scared by Joseph»s pagan belief, kills the tree and brings disease and famine on the farm. Set in familiar Steinbeck country, TO A GOD UNKOWN is a mystical tale, exploring one man»s attempt to control theforces of nature and to understand the ways of God.