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A review by zenithharpink
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, Maura Spiegel
3.0
The content of this book breaks my heart. It's offensive that people could be treated this poorly by others, not even thinking about the meat prep, which everybody seems to latch onto.
Yes, the conditions for the meat prep is appalling and horrifying to think that people actually paid money to eat that food. But, the big picture is so much more heartbreaking! This book almost broke my faith in America, it was so hard to read at times-I nearly walked away a couple of times. There was a swindler around every corner.
I felt the prose a bit reminiscent of Charles Dickens-it flows very well and the diction is great. In my particular edition, I mostly didn't appreciate the footnotes that were made available, though. The reader has to remember that this is not story of Jurgis Rudkus though. Many complain about the disjointed story elements or unbelievable features of his life. He walks a fine line between a villain and a sympathetic (or at times, pathetic) character.
Truly, this is a piece of propaganda for socialism, but luckily, this can be ignored until the final chapters of the book. This book is a narrative, and doesn't devolve into socialist fits of fancy until the very end-that part was definitely hard to read, and I found myself glancing through the diabtribes of the party leaders, and instead of scanned for the continued story of Jurgis.
I recommend this book to any interested in reading a culture-changing book from the early 1900s, as well as those interested in reading a book firmly in the cannon. Additionally, this is a great book that shows how the urban poor lived at the turn of the nineteenth century. Read this book, but be prepared to be VERY uncomfortable.
Yes, the conditions for the meat prep is appalling and horrifying to think that people actually paid money to eat that food. But, the big picture is so much more heartbreaking! This book almost broke my faith in America, it was so hard to read at times-I nearly walked away a couple of times. There was a swindler around every corner.
I felt the prose a bit reminiscent of Charles Dickens-it flows very well and the diction is great. In my particular edition, I mostly didn't appreciate the footnotes that were made available, though. The reader has to remember that this is not story of Jurgis Rudkus though. Many complain about the disjointed story elements or unbelievable features of his life. He walks a fine line between a villain and a sympathetic (or at times, pathetic) character.
Truly, this is a piece of propaganda for socialism, but luckily, this can be ignored until the final chapters of the book. This book is a narrative, and doesn't devolve into socialist fits of fancy until the very end-that part was definitely hard to read, and I found myself glancing through the diabtribes of the party leaders, and instead of scanned for the continued story of Jurgis.
I recommend this book to any interested in reading a culture-changing book from the early 1900s, as well as those interested in reading a book firmly in the cannon. Additionally, this is a great book that shows how the urban poor lived at the turn of the nineteenth century. Read this book, but be prepared to be VERY uncomfortable.