Reviews
"The Jungle" is an important, though at times rough-to-read, piece of American history. Despite hearing that the book would be difficult for its gruesome depictions of the inner-workings of the American Beef Trust, I found the difficulty stemmed more so from the book just being -- with no fancier way to put it coming to mind -- simply dated and at times too tangentially rambling, especially towards the end. I was brought to "The Jungle" because I heard what everybody else heard: the book was disgusting and yet told a tale important enough for President Teddy Roosevelt to establish the FDA. Unfortunately, if this is what you're also hoping to read in "The Jungle", I'll warn you now that it's a very brief part of Jurgis' story. Jurgis, the main character, only works in Packingtown for a small section of the book. Largely, the book is about the life of the Lithuanian immigrant and the wild adventures he experienced in Chicago and briefly elsewhere. Jurgis sees a few ups and many far-worse downs and his life is certainly one of misery. Upton Sinclair knew this and wanted the book to bring change through Socialism gaining popularity. The book ends with a drawn-out discussion about Capitalism's inherent hindrances on mankind and how Socialism would help solve these issues. I don't disagree with anything Sinclair's subjects say at the end, but I found the propaganda didn't quite make for a good read. The book is a slow decline in quality, if you ask me, however it's still definitely important enough to be worth trying. Upton Sinclair's book is a product of its time and that is neither good nor bad, it simply is. For me, this meant there was a a bit of a hill to climb because I found the author's style to be somewhat painfully old. It's subtle, but even the smallest things like seeing the word "to-day" have some effect on me, the writing style makes me feel like I'm watching an hourglass's sand dance downwards. I'm glad I read "The Jungle". Many of Jurgis' life stories will stick with me and his life of poverty is one that should shame any American who still believes corporations truly care about you. I am tempted to give this four stars, but went with three because I think the decline in quality is undeniable. I still recommend it.
Holy hell, for everything I have ever failed in my life, never have I been so grateful to have had the opportunity to try. Despite all the "piled-up horrors", The Jungle is an consistently interesting read. Unlike the main character, I did very little trudging. When we consider the broken backs that were an expense of Amierca's ascension, we gloss over I think those early 18th century city dwellers of all races, but especially European. Not to undermine the plight of the Native American or black people, but only because they too suffered industrialization. The Jungle's Lithuanians' suffering is abject; the only difference between them and chattel slaves is that slaves were meant to survive. It is mind-bending to to think that, following abolition and manifest destiny, the perhaps deepest, darkest chapter of American history would yet unfold.
Was so so cool but it felt eons longer than it actually was
jesus christ
A truly heartbreaking work. Learned a lot.
After I plugged through the first chapter (audible: 1 hour and 29 min with way too much detail on a wedding), I was intrigued with the history of packing town, old Chicago and the plight of immigrants coming to the US. There was new information and struggles brought to my attention that I thought was fascinating. However, I’m not sure this book was cohesive. It seems that the author was trying to make the plot, story line and characters fit every possible situation that could have happened in Chicago during this time period. Towards the end, one is thinking “what else is going to happen to this man and when will it end?” And then the last couple of Chapters were like the first, entirely too much detail on socialism, again plugging through to the end. I personally feel this would have been better as maybe four different historical books: meat packing, corruption in Chicago, immigration and socialism. The content was good and informational but the author would get completely off the storyline and preach from his soap box the issue he wanted to address. Then it was like, “oh yeah, I have the characters.” Again, I gained knowledge and enjoyed the content it just didn’t fit all together. Warning: it is not a book for someone with a week constitution or herbivores.
I love this book. Confession: I've never finished it. I've tried, three times, but I can't make myself wade through the last few chapters, which are really just Sinclair's socialist manifesto. I grow bored and give up every single time. Someday, someday, I will make it through.
Good book but will make you not want to eat meat for at least a week.
