Rating: 
Summary: Incredible
Review: Upton Sinclair tottaly changed the meat-packing industry forever with his book "The Jungle". Any person can find a character in this book to identify with, which I enjoyed immensely. For all of you who have soft stomachs, I DO NOT reccomend this book. It is incredibly gory and gruesome, explaining in detail the methods of preparing meat in the stockyards. I don't think I even went near meat for a week after I read it! Since I am not as old as one may be when they read this book, I had to have a dictionary by my side the whole time while reading. Its a perfect novel for a socialist (which I am not) considering the HUGE speech on socialism at the end of the novel. As boring as this may sound, the story is invigorating and kept me "on the edge of my seat" so to speak. I hate clichés...BUT I just used one...
Rating: 
Summary: It's decent.
Review: I chose to read this book because it is so historically important. It gives an in-depth look at Chicago's meatpacking industry and the struggles for immigrants at the beginning of the 20th century. It's not great literature, it reads like non-fiction, but that's what can be expected and that's the point. It seems like the good part of the book was in the middle. The beginning was so slow, and then end was Sinclair's attempt to convert all readers to socialists. It's way too pro-socialism for me, the last 50 pages are all about socialism, and the way he argues for it is not that effective ("Jurgis couldn't believe there were people that didn't get it... it's like 2+2=4"). Good for people interested in history, but not so much literature.
Rating:
Summary: Historically Imporant
Review: One of the more important historical primary sources pertaining to the understanding of public opinion around the turn of the century; it is a classic example of effective muckraking. The book is not a great literary work. It is, however, well written. The book was intended to send political message that is now dated and gives a fictional account of a real situation. In short, capitalism has brought desolation to the meat-packing district in Chicago through un-just laws, corruption, and the complete exploitation of immigrants trying to make it in America. Interestingly, the book missed it's mark on the public who were disgusted by the descriptions of the meat-packing plants. Instead of striking a direct blow against capitalism through reform, it struck an indirect blow against big-business because a precedence was set when the government clamped down on the food processing industry.
Rating: 
Summary: Rebutle to the stupid people who write reviews for this book
Review: The Jungle is a classic piece of American literature, and Upton Sinclair's ideas on Socialism not only inspired changes in the food laws but also workers rights. His use of symbolism rivials that of John Steinbeck.
Rating:
Summary: How the Other Half Lives
Review: Millions of immigrants from around the world came to the US between the years 1870 and 1920¡¯s with a promise of a better life, a taste of the ¡®American Dream¡¯. These immigrants had come to America, yearning to be free and comfortable but were soon forced into waged slavery and slums. Upton Sinclair, author of The Jungle, wanted to ¡°expose the social, political, and economic problems¡± that a typical immigrant family faces, ¡°¡¦how the other half lives,¡± Upton Sinclair exclaimed. In this novel, a family of nine, like the million others, came from their homeland to take a stab at prosperity in the states in vain.
For this reason, Sinclair wanted society to feel a little remorse for the hundreds of immigrants dying for the progress of this country. His style of writing is very powerful and is a very enduring read, evoking pity and sympathy into the readers¡¯ hearts. Sinclair¡¯s descriptive and sanguinary writing lets the reader take a peak into the factories, showing us what wasn't supposed to be seen. Upton Sinclair gave social economic change an initial push. After reading Sinclair¡¯s book, President Teddy Roosevelt issued the Pure Food Act and labors were given a sanitary work environment.
In contrary with our history books, Sinclair focused on only one, out of a million, family¡¯s struggle to exist in this merciless society. In history class I¡¯ve leaned about these immigrants¡¯ struggles, but when I read this book, I realized that textbooks only touched the surface of the strife and obstacles the limited immigrants went through. I do recommend this book because I have enjoyed it immensely myself.
Rating:
Summary: The Jungle of Lies
Review: I found this book to be very fascinating, indeed. Upton Sinclair does an excellent job of portraying the early 20th century lives for the immigrant family and I did enjoy the ideas of the author. His work leads is intended on leading the audience that the immigrants to the United States are clearly victims. As the book is intended to gain support against the meat packing industry and for the working class, the reader is inclined to believe that everyone was against these people. It is understood throughout this novel that many of these newcomers can hardly speak a word of English and that they don't really believe any real harm will come to them. This common conception was felt throughout the nation, however, the opposite happens. Working conditions, housing rent, and injuries are just some of the reasons the corruption is addressed in this book. The industry will never look the same to you.
Rating:
Summary: The Jungle
Review: Upton Sinclair was born into an impoverished Baltimore family on September 20, 1878. In 1906, Sinclair wrote a 412 page, non-fiction novel, The Jungle, a scathing indictment of the vile health conditions of the Chicago meat packing industry. A young Lithuanian couple Jurgis and Ona and their family arrives in Packingtown. Jurgis, Marija, and Jonas get a job easily because they are strong and are able to work tenaciously. They buy a house, but are made to sign a treacherous deed, whose content they do not construe. The family goes through adversities such as lack of food or overworking for 12 to 15 hours a day in inclement weather. The family loses the house and has to live in a very archaic and frayed apartment. Family members die, like Ona while delivering her baby boy. Jurgis's son also dies, hence he abandons the family and runs away. He leaves Chicago trying to find a job and a place to live. Unfortunately, his life did not turn out any better than before, so he came back to Packingtown after a year or so. He sees Alena Jasitye, who was the belle of his wedding feast, and she tells him where Marija lives. Jurgis finds Marija and is in shock when he finds out that she is a .... Jurgis finds a job as a porter in a hotel and he tries helping the family once again. He talks with Marija and Elzbieta about socialism yet they are not really influenced but their views concur with is. The Jungle concludes with Jurgis very committed to Socialism and willing to work assiduously to fight against the evils of capitalism.
Rating:
Summary: Fiction with some fact
Review: Readers should know that this novel is a story; it's fiction. And while it may seem that the family depicted herein has an uncanny string of bad luck, the story isn't entirely unbelievable. In history there have been several accounts of injustices on the workers in America, especially immigrants. And there are countless more cases which are unrecorded. It's easy to label this as socialist propoganda, but so what? Any educated person would look at all sides of an issue. As such, there's no excuse for resorting to McCarthyism. The novel does tend to take the working class tragedy a bit to the extreme, however...but, then again, most great works are extreme.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your time with this book...
Review: ...unless you would enjoy reading 350 pages of socialist propoganda. A thinly veiled attempt at brainwashing that shows its true colors during the last chapter. Upon finishing this book, I thought of Ralphie and The Christmas Story. How he frantically decoded the Little Orphan Annie message with his Ovaltine decoder ring, only to discover it was a "crummy commercial", which is what The Jungle is: a commercial for socialism while distorting history to portray capitalists as fat men in top hats. I can't believe anyone enjoyed reading this piece of tripe.
Rating:
Summary: Ignore the politics.
Review: Yes, ignore the politics, read the book and learn from it. Sinclair gives an accurate if not overly dramatic depiction of the Chicago meat packing industry of the early 1900's. This book should scare the heck out of you in a strangely entertaining way. And, with a little luck, it may also instill a desire within you to investigate the state of today's meat industry before you take too many more bites..
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