The Jungle - Likewise Book Reviews

"Another classic book that I love"

"I enjoyed this novel though it isn't for the faint of heart. I truly felt for some of the storylines and characters. I recall reading tidbits of this book in English class and was happy to give it a full read as an adult. If you enjoyed this, I recommend reading "The Devil In The White City" by Erik Larson. Another early 1900 Chicago novel but slightly horror and nice historical info."

"The Jungle is a book that I have so much respect for, as Upton Sinclair went into Chicago undercover in the year of 1905 to work and become part of the meat packing industry for eight weeks. That short time was long enough for him to write a book that spanned over years of one man's life and all the loss and gain, joy and turmoil, shelter and homelessness that thousands of men and women had to go through during that time. This book is graphic and sometimes hard to read because of it's authenticity, but that is what makes it the well-known classic it is today. That is why it changed so many lives and got the attention of even our President at the time - which in turn changed the laws and ways that food is handled, manufactured, and prepared. It also changed the working conditions of hundreds of thousands of workers for the better.<br/>This book is on of life changing proportions and is so because of the way it is written. It connects with you on many different levels so that you have a hard time disconnecting from the things that happen."

"i had to read this for my apush course and it was more interesting than i anticipated! glad i read it"

"Wow. This one gave me all the feels. While it helped change federal food safety laws, it is truly SO SO much deeper than that."

"Not about the animal kingdom, but the animal within us and our society. This book changed the world; let it change yours. "

"Pretty dark book"

"Such a great classic. Made me a vegetarian for over half of college."

"This story got me crying chillingly cold tears on a mid-winter evening...I had to move the book so I didn't soak the pages. It's based on real life. "

"I read this book as a 12yo. It sticks with me to this day. I was a vegetarian for a very long time due to this book. I can’t shop in traditional butcher shops because of this work. It brilliantly yet graphically exposes the horrific working in the meat packing industry in earlier times. If you enjoy beef - don’t read this book. It WILL turn your stomach and your eating habits. The images and actions in the plot linger for a long time. "

"Historical Fiction novel depicting an immigrants struggle to survive under inhumane working conditions and low wages in America."

"Yikes. This book is 100% not a pick me up however I couldn’t put it down. Blunt, sad, eye opening. "

"8/10"

"upton sinclair: the very nature of capitalism is to deprive the majority of a life worth living to give a minority far too much of it. every major industry will lure you in, use you of all you have, and then spit you back out in a condition that won't allow you to find a place anywhere else. the nature of this system turns people against each other, it drains you of hope that you can escape your situation, and that the only way you can succeed is by luring other people into your place so you can move to the next. when you fail, you work harder, and when you've worked so hard you can no longer, you die, and you're to understand that's just the way of the world. the only way to end this festering cycle of pain and suffering is to start at the roots and rip them out one by one until people see how truly rotten things are, and only then will you be truly free.<br/><br/>me: so you're saying i should never go to chicago"

"Read pieces of this book throughout high school and then again in my Business Ethics class in undergrad. Thought provoking, chilling, and definitely a classic in my mind. "

"I read this in middle school."

"Probably my favorite book... never imagined it would be but I actually think and talk about it fairly regularly and I finished it two winters ago probably"