The Jungle

When one begins to read the novel, The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, you are drawn into the world of Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant, who like so many others, simply wants a better life for him and his soon-to-be family. His fiancé, Ona, and her stepmother and half brothers and sisters all come to America, where Jurgis gets a job working in "Packingtown" as the stockyards of Chicago are known. At first, the filth that the meat is prepared in disgusts them, but soon they, like everyone else in Chicago, overlooks the filth. The story of how they survive when Jurgis loses his job due to an accident is one that you will never forget. Unfortunately, the novel is not entirely fiction. In fact, only the characters are, because the way that "Packingtown" was run was discovered after this book was published in 1906, and it prompted a government investigation. It has been said of this novel, "he aimed at the people's heart and hit their stomach".