Rating: 
Summary: A Bigger Version with More Kick
Review: I first read Upton Sinclair's 1905 novel "The Jungle" about seven years ago. The author, a dedicated socialist during the turbulent times of industrial upheaval in America, wrote this novel to show the American public how bad the working conditions actually were in the packinghouses of Chicago. He also hoped to expose the poor treatment of immigrants and the shameless greed of big business. For all intensive purposes, Sinclair did succeed in raising awareness about the dangers of eating canned beef and other meat products that supposedly underwent rigorous government inspection and quality controls. "The Jungle" even inspired then President Theodore Roosevelt to institute stricter laws and greater administrative controls on the beef industry. Now, with the release of "The Jungle: The Uncensored Original Edition," it is possible to discover that Sinclair not only wished to show exactly how bad the meat supply really was, but that his most important goal involved revelations about the plight of the working poor struggling under the crushing weight of laissez-faire capitalism.Jurgis Rudkos is Sinclair's protagonist here, a recent Lithuanian immigrant alighting on the shores of Chicago in search of the American dream of wealth and prestige. Jurgis brings several relatives and his fiancée with him, certain that with a new job in the city he will soon wed and raise a family. Rudkos and company soon learn the reality of their situation upon reaching Packingtown, the slums that surround the beef factories like concentric rings of misery that even Dante could not have foreseen. The Rudkos clan doesn't speak English, so they are at the mercy of nearly everyone around them. Jurgis and several of his relatives manage to land jobs at the factories, but soon discover that these jobs are nightmares of depravity involving insanely long working hours, cruel bosses, low pay barely adequate for basic human needs, and filthy conditions. At first, Jurgis doesn't care how bad it is; he knows if he and the members of his family work hard they may eventually afford to purchase a house. This they do, but soon discover that the costs of insurance, interest, and taxes will keep them in a constant state of turmoil. If even one person in the family loses their job, the whole clan faces eviction and eventual doom. As the years pass, Jurgis and those he loves face one calamity after another. Lost jobs, dishonest government and vendors, disease, crime, and debt all take a devastating toll. There is little happiness residing in the pages of this book. Sinclair's purpose with this book is to tout the panacea of socialism in a world that many increasingly saw as controlled by rampant big business. The last half of the story is essentially a socialist pamphlet singing the praises of the working class and how the people need to take back their institutions by reining in corporations. The author rebuts standard arguments favoring capitalism while presenting socialism as salvation incarnate. Whether you agree with socialist dogma or not, it is not difficult to understand why people favored such a worldview in an era when government regulation was non-existent or nearly so. Not surprisingly, unions get a fair amount of support from Sinclair to the extent that they are about the only organization willing to oppose the greed of the meatpackers. In short, "The Jungle" takes business to task while championing the little guy. This new edition culled Sinclair's original text from a socialist organ entitled "Appeal to Reason." The author later tried to publish this version but ran into numerous obstacles from mainstream publishers who worried about lawsuits from the beef trust, the unsettling descriptions of factory life, and the author's unwavering support for immigrants. Sinclair eventually made the changes to the text in order to get the book published, figuring it was important to get some of the message out there then none at all. An introduction in this edition argues that the restored changes show how the author's focus was really on foreign workers, not necessarily the grotesque atmosphere of the slaughterhouses. Sinclair himself stated that he "aimed for the public's heart but hit them in the stomach instead." After reading this version of "The Jungle," it does seem as though the primary intention of the book was to emphasize the plight of Jurgis and the millions of other poor souls trapped in the insanity of a greedy industry. However, it is hard to read this book and not cringe over the lengthy passages outlining the disgusting practices that led to tainted meat and the spread of disease through such products as tinned beef. Arguably the most powerful section of the book discusses in depth the results of a strike in Chicago involving all of the meatpacking houses. Sinclair is at the height of his descriptive powers as he takes the reader on a tour of the factories locked in the throes of scab warfare and even more disgusting factory conditions. This is powerful stuff. Nearly one hundred years after "The Jungle," Upton Sinclair remains the best remembered muckraker of the era. Having read both versions available, I have to conclude that reading either edition is equally effective. I only read this new treatment because I like to read unabridged or uncontaminated copies of any book. The uncensored edition adds about five chapters to the story, but it doesn't really make it that much longer since the chapters are all relatively short. Upton Sinclair fans will most certainly want to acquire this edition of the book to see what they have been missing all these years.
Rating: 
Summary: AWFUL
Review: I had to read this book for a class and did not like it. It was rather dull and boring. It did have some good points in it, however.
Rating:
Summary: AWFUL
Review: I had to read this book for a class and did not like it. It was rather dull and boring. It did have some good points in it, however.
Rating:
Summary: The closest I've ever gotten to becoming a vegetarian...
Review: I read the original version of The Jungle years ago in school, and it had quite an impact on me. However, 10 years later, with a decade in the working world behind me, I gained a new appreciation for it's message after rereading this uncut edition. This novel is easily the most disturbing and horrific book I've ever read, and it was published nearly 100 years ago! It not only opened my eyes to how far our country has come in terms of class relationships, labor laws, etc. but has given me a new outlook on my own life. Talk about pointing out how easy many of us have it today! It's part history book, part social commentary, part politics, part tragedy, and all classic. No other character in the history of literature gets put through the ringer like Jurgis does. Upton Sinclair said after the public reacted primarily to the slaughterhouse discriptions that he was "aiming for the publics heart, and hit their stomach instead." It will anger you, it will sadden you, but it will surely change the way you view our world today, and has certainly changed some of my modern pessimism into opptomism if only that it has reminded me that we indeed have made progress as a nation (even with all our current problems). I think everyone should read The Jungle, it's educational, eye opening, and so well written. From his struggle in the slaughterhouses of Chicago, to his slowly changing opinion of the world around him, and finally to his education on the way the machine works, Jurgis lives a life that has something everyone can relate to. Highly recommended for people wanting a glimpse into urban life a century ago, and fans of plain great story telling.
Rating: 
Summary: Captivating
Review: I really enjoyed this book. Near the end I had more of a struggle to stick with the story. The story just pulls at your heart and I found myself continually shaking my head saying, "What can possibly go wrong now?" It is very disturbing to even think that scenes like this actually happened. It makes me terribly sad.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating
Review: I really enjoyed this book. Near the end I had more of a struggle to stick with the story. The story just pulls at your heart and I found myself continually shaking my head saying, "What can possibly go wrong now?" It is very disturbing to even think that scenes like this actually happened. It makes me terribly sad.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating
Review: I really enjoyed this book. Near the end I had more of a struggle to stick with the story. The story just pulls at your heart and I found myself continually shaking my head saying, "What can possibly go wrong now?" It is very disturbing to even think that scenes like this actually happened. It makes me terribly sad.
Rating:
Summary: This book was really good!
Review: I thought that this was a really great book. It was an interesting , but at the same time, an inforamtive read. It was informative in the sense that it was very detailed in explaining many of the hardships that immigrants had to suffer when they came to America. Not only that, but at the same time it was telling horror stories about the meat packing industry, and about how workers used to die when they were cleaning up animal entrails, or about how so many diseased animals were just ground up and canned with the rest of the meat. One thing's for sure, I'm going to think twice the next time I decide to by packaged meat. Ha Ha.
Rating:
Summary: "But I'm glad I'm not a pig!"
Review: Originally published in 1906 by Upton Sinclair, THE JUNGLE sent shockwaves throughout the United States that resulted in cries for labor and agricultural reforms. It is indeed rare that a book should have such a political impact, but although Sinclair may have been surprised at the results, it is apparent while reading this novel that his words form a political agenda of its own. It should be noted that Sinclair was a devout Socialist who traveled to Chicago to document the working conditions of the world-famous stockyards. Sinclair originally published this book in serial form in the Socialist newspaper, The Appeal to Reason. But as a result of the popularity of this series Sinclair decided to try to publish in a form of a novel. Sinclair widely utilized the metaphor of the jungle (survival of the fittest, etc.) throughout this book to reflect how the vulnerable worker is at the mercy of the powerful packers and politicians. Mother Nature is represented as a machine who destroys the weak and protects the elite powerful. To illustrate his sentiments Sinclair wrote of family of Jurgis and Ona who immigrated to Chicago from Lithuania in search of the American dream. They arrive in all innocence and believe that hard work would result in a stable income and security. But they soon realize that all the forces are against them. During the subsequent years Jurgis tries to hold on what he has but he is fighting a losing battle. It is not until he stumbles upon a political meeting that his eyes upon the evils of capitalism and the sacredness of socialism. If one is to read THE JUNGLE, then they should do themselves a favor and seek out this version. It is the original, uncensored version that Sinclair originally intended to publish. It contains much more details of the horrifying conditions of the meatpacking industry that Jurgis and his family were subjected to. I originally read the standard version of this book many years ago, but I didn't hestitate to invest in this edition as I wanted to read what Sinclair had originally intended. THE JUNGLE is an important book on the labor history of the United States, the non-fairytale immigration of foreigners into the melting pot, and the history of Chicago. Recommended, but not for the faint of heart.
Rating:
Summary: The Dehumanization of Man
Review: Perhaps even more horrific than the low living conditions, the filthy slaughterhouses, the poverty, and the disease, is the dehumanization of man. The individual is gone. Man has no worth other than his value to his capitalist employer; he is only a portion of a vast machine. Are your wages too low? Are your children sick? Have you not seen sunlight in days? Are your boots worn through with acid on the floor? Is your infected hand green? Are there rats and unlucky men in your food? Well, we care not ... you are a machine. You work. You do not complain. You live by our rules. You slave your day, every day, else you and your family starve. These are only a few of the monstrosities you will witness. Described as "no exaggeration," _The Jungle_ horrified me like no other book. Historical, political, and absolutely true, this novel brought a new sense of awareness to the Industrial Age. Man means nothing. I cried over this book, and it was literally the most depressing thing I have ever read. You can never win the game: you must cheat. You can never be treated like an individual: you must survive anyway. To read this is to observe horrors attempted to be kept secret. To read this is to forget the "American dream." To read this is to see the destruction of Man: through overpopulation and industrialization. Perhaps you feel alienated from it ... after all, it was written one hundred years ago. Things have changed. You don't care. But realize this: it has been covered up before, can it not be covered up now?
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