Jungle (Upton Sinclair)

The Jungle is a gruesome book about the depression and tragedy of the poor, working immigrants in the early 1900's. Sinclair is very descriptive when revealing the meat packing industry's disgusting working conditions and the almost unbearable winters. There came cruel, cold, and biting winds, and blizzards of snow, all testing relentlessly for failing muscles and impoverished blood. People would freeze to death or lose different parts of their body. Once in the book, it stated how a man vigorously began rubbing a little boy's ears because they were frozen stiff, but it only took two or three rubs to break them short off. Sinclair delineates the repulsive working conditions such as when the men would tie up their feet in newspapers and old sacks, and these would be soaked in blood and frozen, and then soaked again and so on until by night-time a man would be walking on great lumps the size of the feet of an elephant. I was appalled at how people could let innocent immigrants suffer... Read more

The Jungle is a great book about the loss of innocence. A group of Lithunaians come to America expecting to work and earn a decent salary. Jurgis and Ona are the focus of the story and their love is pure and innocent. However, they quickly find out that there are entire industries waiting to take advantage of poor immigrants, from the Packers to Real Estate companies, pub owners, bosses, police, politicians, etc. Not only does this book show the despair and tragedy of the working poor in America in the early 1900's but it exposes the packing industry's disgusting underbelly. Unfortunately, the main story disintegrates at the end of the book and it becomes more of a dissertation on the benefits of socialism.

Wouldn't it be great if a progressive like Sinclair could come along today and throw out all the right-wing trash by exposing their lies. Although The Jungle (misnamed "Jungle" on this site) isn't directly about such, that was one of its impacts. Of all the books I've read, this one has affected me more politically, ideologically and spiritually than any other. I have a list of heroes to remind me of good deeds in the world and Sinclair is on that list. I HIGHLY recommend this book to everyone.

The Jungle became a part of the American culture in the early 1900s. It displayed all the atrocities of the meatpacking industry and influenced muckrakers pushing for reform everywhere, including then president Theodore Roosevelt. It was a revelation of corrupt, unsanitary practices taking place in our own country and that should be exposed and stopped.

I had to read three books as a junior in high school: this, The Grapes of Wrath, Slaughter-House Five. This was my favorite. Jurgis actually did some interesting things (worked in a manure factory, went to jail, became homeless, beat up his wife's boss). He was a man of character. Oh yeah, I knew meat was vile before I read the book. One more thing: The last 50 pages where ol' Upton tries to convert me into a Socialist... Just STOP!

I read this book my junior year of high school and really enjoyed it due to its exciting plot line and historical significance as being banned due to its topic. Anyone seeking to learn about the meat packing controversy and subsequent FDA stanards of the 1920's will love this book.

Oooh, almost like The Age Of Innocence. Unearthing more of society's secrets. Actually, very much like Angela's Ashes.

It was very interesting to me to read about the industrial revolution. I liked the historical information and it was well written. It involves many issues like working, unions, strikes, meat packaging, politics, socialism...so many exciting issues.

Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" is the greatest call to scialism since Marx's communist Manifesto. Tracing Jurgis Ludkis (sp?) through the hell of Chicago's meat industry the reader gains true insight into the like of wage slavery. The disturbing thing about the book is that it got the Clean Foods Act passed but did little for the lives of workers.

Upton Sinclair's The Jungle is not only gruesome, depressing and boring, but a huge piece of propaganda. If you enjoy meat, do not read this book. I myself am a vegatarian and this book made me sick. I couldn't even finish it because the vague story it did have ended 100 pages before the end of he book.

Worth reading to learn about the injustices that greedy politicians force on people in the United States around 1900. Sort of heavy on preaching for socialism. DISGUSTING descriptions of meat processing.

I don't think many people knew just how bad the manufactured food was in the 20's. A good wakeup call on what we eat. A bit hard to read through.

The turn of the century Chicago meat industry was a sausage and rat factory. It showed how immingrants have struggled and how meat was disgusting.

This book is about a family coming from a different country to America for more opportunities. When arriving in the US they instantly get taken advantage of, living in Chicago and trying to get by. The story is about this family trying to survive. The husband works at one of the many slaughterhouses in the industrial district of Chicago. The women work at a canning business where they paint cans for under one dollar a day. Thus, this story tells you about the abuses in the slaughterhouse, where rats and formaldahyde are just some things that were in the meat at the turn of the century. A wonderful book that talks about the worst side of our country and about hope, and how to push yourself past the hard times and how family means more than anything.

The Jungle did such a favor to us to bring forth the terrible conditions of the meat market in America. Disgusting- I had to put down the book for descriptions of bloody floors.

This book made me stay away from Hot Dogs for a while.

This books boring. I just don't think it was that bad.

The Jungle is a classic of early 20th century literature which evryone should read.