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Friday, January 7, 2011

DNF Review: The Jungle by Upton Sinclair


The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Genre: Fiction, Classic
Paperback, 400 pages
Book Source: the library
My Rating:  DNF therefore no rating

From Goodreads:

In this powerful book we enter the world of Jurgis Rudkus, a young Lithuanian immigrant who arrives in America fired with dreams of wealth, freedom, and opportunity. And we discover, with him, the astonishing truth about "packingtown," the busy, flourishing, filthy Chicago stockyards, where new world visions perish in a jungle of human suffering. Upton Sinclair, master of the "muckraking" novel, here explores the workingman's lot at the turn of the century: the backbreaking labor, the injustices of "wage-slavery," the bewildering chaos of urban life. The Jungle, a story so shocking that it launched a government investigation, recreates this startling chapter in our history in unflinching detail. Always a vigorous champion on political reform, Sinclair is also a gripping storyteller, and his 1906 novel stands as one of the most important -- and moving -- works in the literature of social change.

My Thoughts:

This was a book club pick for the club I was in way back when in 2009.  I really tried to read this one but I just couldn't finish.  I got about 180 pages in and that was enough for me.  I will not go into the gory details because believe me they are gory, disgusting, unbelievable, and mind boggling.  However, this is how it was back then.  That's why Sinclair wrote this book exposing the ills of the meat packing industry.  My God how they treated people, who were mostly immigrants, and how they pulled the wool over the public's eyes.  Let me tell you, it makes you think about what goes on today as well in the food industry.

That is one of the reasons why I couldn't finish the book.  I like meat, and I don't want to know, fictional or not, where my tasty steak comes from.  Yes, I am an ignorant Amercian in this respect, and I'm okay with that.  This is a very depressing story and at the time I was reading this, I was in the middle of some scary health concerns.  Therefore, the last thing I wanted to do was read a depressing story.  So I pout the book down.  I did skim through the remainder, and the story didn't get any better.  Poor Jurgis.  My heart truly went out to him, and all of the characters in this story.  It is a sad reminder of again, what people will do to one another in the name of greed or just plain meanness. 

Comments (13)

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My son had to read this in high school, so I read it along with him. I did not finish either. He thought it was interesting.
Yah I feel ya. Sometimes you need something uplifting.
Well, I say kudos for just trying this one. And I totally get not wanting to know where and how that steak got on your plate :D
1 reply · active 739 weeks ago
lol you got that right :)
This was a DNF for me as well...way back when I was in high school. I just found it painful.
1 reply · active 739 weeks ago
Yes, painful is a great word to describe it. I just wanted to hug Jurgis. The man never caught a break.
hi jenny! i've heard of this book but i didn't know it was about meat. and i too agree about not wanting to know where meat products come from.

happy friday and have a relaxing weekend! :)
1 reply · active 739 weeks ago
Thanks Michelle! You also :)
We talked extensively about this book in one of my history classes, but I have never read it. Great job at taking the effort! I don't blame you - I like meat too!
1 reply · active 739 weeks ago
Thanks Heather :) It is important to history but more importantly we need reporters and writers today who can do the same thing. I don't think we have too many of those anymore.
Thats a shame you didnt finish. For this book despite its gory details of the meat packing industry, gives insight into a country of greed, and poverty. Sinclair noted home foreclosures that are so close to our problems today, and spoke about the rigged elections. I am so glad I read this book, its a first hand account of history !
It's definitely books like this that have made me into a vegetarian for three years now - once I knew how my food got to my plate, I changed my eating habits right away, which made me ultimately feel better.

This is one that I haven't read yet - I can tell you, though, from your description of it, not much has changed today with food handling and treatment of immigrants. It is sort of hard to support the industry once you know all that, you know?

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