A review by lenorayoder
The Jungle by Emily Russell, Peter Kuper, Upton Sinclair

dark informative sad slow-paced

2.0

I like the message of the book and I’m glad it was published. It’s upsetting how much of this book is still relevant today. There are some really poignant and nicely written bits. Unfortunately, the majority of the book is a slog. There are a few parts with nice momentum where I wasn’t forcing myself to finish the chapter, but those were a small minority. This is journalism and a call to action disguised as fiction, and the layer of fiction being so thin makes it a chore to read. Glad I read it and I would recommend excerpts, but I would prefer an abridged version or a modern retelling that goes into the current horrors of the meat industry, monopolies, and exploitation. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Classism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Trafficking, and Alcohol

Minor: Body horror, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury