The Jungle / 1-5661-9566-7

Propaganda is, by its very nature, always the least subtle of art forms. Make no mistake about it, The Jungle is propaganda. But it is propaganda with a root and a purpose, and Sinclair does not disappoint. He tells the harrowing tale of immigrants to America who find, slowly, painfully, that their sweet, naive natures make them easy pickings for the vultures who have gathered to feast on them.

Workers work long hours for little pay, under hazardous conditions, with nothing but a "Bad luck, Chuck" and a pat on the back if maimed or killed at the workplace. Leases for housing and furniture are written in incomprehensible legalese and the lawyers hired to protect them are in league with the owners seeking to cheat them. Even a staple like food works against them, as they unwittingly drink milk colored with white paint to cut prices and boost sales. The food they eat kills them, the house they live in consumes them, the work they do destroys them. By the time they realize that the only "real" way to get along in this cold world would have been to become wolves themselves (if only the women had been hooking all this time, one woman laments tearfully), it is too late - their children are cold and dead, their lives are ruined.

This book is a stunning reminder to each of us the sheer amount of trust we place in the world around us. We trust that the food we eat will not poison us, despite knowing that the regulatory agencies that 'care' for us are deeply politically and financially tied to those who we are supposed to be protected from. We trust that the contracts we sign will be honored, that the mortgages we contract will be legitimate. We trust that if the worst happens at our workplace, we and our family will be cared for. Sinclair reminds us that life is not always so simple, and is never so simple for the poorest of us.

you can download this book for free on gutenberg.org which is a legitimate site. It will be great for people who own reading devices like kindle or just likes free stuff.

This novel does a wonderful job of painting scenes from the daily life of a family of Lithuanian immigrant workers in the early 1900s. Sinclair produces memorable characters and captures the spirt of the times well. However, it is not a great novel from a purely literary perspective due to its lack of depth and rather uneventful plot. This novel carved out its niche in history by exposing the unsanitary conditions of the meat packing industry of the day. Many credit this novel with setting in motion the wheels that ulitmately led to the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906. This is a book that is worth reading because of its historical impact, but it is does not contain the ingredients of a literary masterpiece.

First off, I'd like to express my opinion that this is one of the most brilliant novels of all time, eloquent in its own hyper-literal and miserable way, and though a hard read(400 pages of pure sorrow and exposure of our dark world) is one of the most fulfilling literary experiences available.

Now then, this book reformed and improve meat laws. It also deals heavily with the meat packing industry. But it even states within its walls that eating meat is virtually unnecessary, it supports the abolishment of such industry altogether, not to change any laws to better it. Though better than nothing, the accidental achievement of improving FDA standards of meat is a complete joke, and it was accomplished out of the pure lack of deep thought which Americans have possessed in the past 100 years. This novel is an example of the highest brilliance of political commentary, and everyone thinks its a ****ing book on nutrition. This angers someone as passionate about the work as I am, so excuse the hostility, but really... Its not just about health code problems. The boy eaten by rats, the death of Jurgis' entire family, the traitorous nature of politicians, how often Jurgis is conned without ever realizing it, the fact that his wife, one of his few lingering purposes for life, is violated and dies, because of foolish decisions he was forced into and must cope with, the imprisonment, the poverty, starvation, loneliness! The meat industry is almost irrelevant, its simply one symbol of the thousands of possible ones which can epitomize the cruel nature of capitalism. It didn't end with the improvement of meat quality, its the idea that in this world, we are slaves to money, and those who by either chance or folly fail to achieve wealth will be tossed aside as garbage. Don't you see, this poverty still goes on today, that it did not end with the simple improvement of cleanliness? It is an expose on the sick nature of capitalism, of this merciless dog-eat-dog world which confuses superiority with circumstance, not a suggestion of how we should prepare food. Women are still prostitutes, children are still starving, politicians are still crooks, men are still alcoholics, and we are still owned by monetary garbage. At least recognize these socialist themes, you don't need to do anything about it, its radical, its insane, it would never work, sure, think what you will, but if you're going to praise a book written by a genius such as this, I'd appreciate that you didn't completely destroy his point. Notice, also, how he speaks of the world as a whole at some points in his book. Despite apparent increase in our quality of life here in the grand ole USA, the world is still quite ****ed, if I may say so myself, as Sinclair DID, and everyone failed to notice because they've sort of forgotten than an entire planet exists outside of ourselves. Please, with the numbers who have read this book, you'd think that quite a few may have been reached, but this focusing on the trivial and denial of the extreme has hardly done this book any justice.

And Dr. Barry Sears has absolutely no place in the book... he states in the afterword in so many words that Sinclair would have to admit that the current strides in the meat industry have done more for the American working man than "any political movement could have ever accomplished." This nutritionist is going to say that Upton Sinclair, obviously one of the most convicted socialist figures of all time, would be happy that his grand vision of a utopian brotherhood was instead interpreted as something so shallow as 'cleaner meat means happier America'? Complete and utter ignorance! And he has the gall to plug The Zone, and the foolishness to say that The Jungle and The Zone are similar, passing The Jungle in the same boat as some dieting garbage and The Zone off as some world-saving, revolutionary book. Complete and utter ****ing ignorance.

If Sinclair were alive right now, no doubt he'd be insulted. You should all give the book a good second reading, and this time pay attention to the last half, you know, the one that has nothing to do with the meat industry at all. This is a book of brilliance...

"I wrote with tears and anguish, pouring into the pages all the pain that life had meant to me." -UPTON SINCLAIR You can comprehend this pain, and understand it, and do something about it, if you simply read the book with a mind beyond an adolescent stage. And I guarantee you, the pain is not a simple matter of unsanitary steaks and chops.

This book is enlightenment for the philosopher stuck in the capitalist world, the one who thinks in the midst of all those who work. For those who fail to understand, its simply something to read because it is marked as a "classic," and I have noticed that. It is by no means pleasant to read but by all means essential to those wishing to comprehend the true genius of literary expression. Do yourself a service and read this book. You don't have to convert to a socialist, but you also don't have to be a complete idiot in its interpretation.

My apologies once again for the hostility, but as I said I am very passionate about this work. If it arises as too trying a task to take in the entire thing,at least survey the last 50 pages or so, for included are speeches of wondrous inspiration and eloquence. This review is not a simple shot at those who took it the wrong way, but a guide for those who will eventually read it. Genius lies in these pages, truly a mind-altering brain supplement... just forget everything anyone's ever told you about it, or about American politics, and see what you come to realize.

First off, I'd like to express my opinion that this is one of the most brilliant novels of all time, eloquent in its own hyper-literal and miserable way, and though a hard read(400 pages of pure sorrow and exposure of our dark world) is one of the most fulfilling literary experiences available.

Now then, this book reformed and improve meat laws. It also deals heavily with the meat packing industry. But it even states within its walls that eating meat is virtually unnecessary, it supports the abolishment of such industry altogether, not to change any laws to better it. Though better than nothing, the accidental achievement of improving FDA standards of meat is a complete joke, and it was accomplished out of the pure lack of deep thought which Americans have possessed in the past 100 years. This novel is an example of the highest brilliance of political commentary, and everyone thinks its a ****ing book on nutrition. This angers someone as passionate about the work as I am, so excuse the hostility, but really... Its not just about health code problems. The boy eaten by rats, the death of Jurgis' entire family, the traitorous nature of politicians, how often Jurgis is conned without ever realizing it, the fact that his wife, one of his few lingering purposes for life, is violated and dies, because of foolish decisions he was forced into and must cope with, the imprisonment, the poverty, starvation, loneliness! The meat industry is almost irrelevant, its simply one symbol of the thousands of possible ones which can epitomize the cruel nature of capitalism. It didn't end with the improvement of meat quality, its the idea that in this world, we are slaves to money, and those who by either chance or folly fail to achieve wealth will be tossed aside as garbage. Don't you see, this poverty still goes on today, that it did not end with the simple improvement of cleanliness? It is an expose on the sick nature of capitalism, of this merciless dog-eat-dog world which confuses superiority with circumstance, not a suggestion of how we should prepare food. Women are still prostitutes, children are still starving, politicians are still crooks, men are still alcoholics, and we are still owned by monetary garbage. At least recognize these socialist themes, you don't need to do anything about it, its radical, its insane, it would never work, sure, think what you will, but if you're going to praise a book written by a genius such as this, I'd appreciate that you didn't completely destroy his point. Notice, also, how he speaks of the world as a whole at some points in his book. Despite apparent increase in our quality of life here in the grand ole USA, the world is still quite ****ed, if I may say so myself, as Sinclair DID, and everyone failed to notice because they've sort of forgotten than an entire planet exists outside of ourselves. Please, with the numbers who have read this book, you'd think that quite a few may have been reached, but this focusing on the trivial and denial of the extreme has hardly done this book any justice.

And Dr. Barry Sears has absolutely no place in the book... he states in the afterword in so many words that Sinclair would have to admit that the current strides in the meat industry have done more for the American working man than "any political movement could have ever accomplished." This nutritionist is going to say that Upton Sinclair, obviously one of the most convicted socialist figures of all time, would be happy that his grand vision of a utopian brotherhood was instead interpreted as something so shallow as 'cleaner meat means happier America'? Complete and utter ignorance! And he has the gall to plug The Zone, and the foolishness to say that The Jungle and The Zone are similar, passing The Jungle in the same boat as some dieting garbage and The Zone off as some world-saving, revolutionary book. Complete and utter ****ing ignorance.

If Sinclair were alive right now, no doubt he'd be insulted. You should all give the book a good second reading, and this time pay attention to the last half, you know, the one that has nothing to do with the meat industry at all. This is a book of brilliance...

"I wrote with tears and anguish, pouring into the pages all the pain that life had meant to me." -UPTON SINCLAIR You can comprehend this pain, and understand it, and do something about it, if you simply read the book with a mind beyond an adolescent stage. And I guarantee you, the pain is not a simple matter of unsanitary steaks and chops.

This book is enlightenment for the philosopher stuck in the capitalist world, the one who thinks in the midst of all those who work. For those who fail to understand, its simply something to read because it is marked as a "classic," and I have noticed that. It is by no means pleasant to read but by all means essential to those wishing to comprehend the true genius of literary expression. Do yourself a service and read this book. You don't have to convert to a socialist, but you also don't have to be a complete idiot in its interpretation.

My apologies once again for the hostility, but as I said I am very passionate about this work. If it arises as too trying a task to take in the entire thing,at least survey the last 50 pages or so, for included are speeches of wondrous inspiration and eloquence. This review is not a simple shot at those who took it the wrong way, but a guide for those who will eventually read it. Genius lies in these pages, truly a mind-altering brain supplement... just forget everything anyone's ever told you about it, or about American politics, and see what you come to realize.