Description: The Jungle is the story of Jurgis Rudkus, a Slav immigrant, who marries frail Ona Lukoszaite and seeks security and happiness as a workman in the Chicago stockyards. Once there, he is abused by foremen, his meager savings filched by real estate sharks, and at every turn, he is plagued by the misfortunes arising from poverty, poor working conditions, and disease. Finally, in accordance with Sinclair's own creed, Rudkus turns to socialism as his way out.
Brief description:
Upton Sinclair (1878-1968) was a journalist, a prominent social and political activist, and the author of over one hundred books, including the novel Dragon's Teeth, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1943. He is perhaps best known for The Jungle, the dramatic exposé of the Chicago meat-packing industry that prompted the investigation by Theodore Roosevelt that culminated in the pure-food legislation of 1906.
Review Quotes:
"The Jungle has given to the world a close, a striking, and, we may say, in many ways a brilliant study of the great industries of Chicago."
--New York Times