The Jungle: A Signature Performance by Casey Affleck

By: Upton Sinclair

Narrated by: Casey Affleck

Length: 14 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Upton Sinclair's The Jungle is a visceral and tragic story of immigrants trying to scratch out a living in the meatpacking plants of Chicago. The resulting public outcry led directly to the US government enacting changes in food and workplace safety practices still in place today.

With food production, business ethics, and immigration back in the news, Academy Award nominee Casey Affleck (Gone Baby Gone) taps into the emotion behind these issues to breathe life back into the struggling inhabitants of Packingtown. Affleck, a committed vegan and animal rights spokesman, delivers a moving performance that connects with the book’s enduring legacy.

The Jungle revolves around the life and family of Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant whose dreams of a better life are crushed by punishing work in gruesome stockyards and an unforgiving city. Brilliantly written and vividly described, it provides a poignant and incredibly detailed snapshot of a striking point in American history.

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Public Domain (P)2010 Audible, Inc

Enjoyed this book for the second time

This book is a must read! Powerful capture of the times working in Chicago's meat packing factories

so much more than the meat packing industry

In 11th grade we hear a blip about this novel, how it was "hard living in cities" and the uncleanliness of meat packing plants. This novel is so much more than that. The American dream in reality for immigrants, urban reality, corruption and the dark side of capitalism. if every audiobook were read with the same verve and exquisite performance that Casey Affleck gives this medium would run away. He is amazing and deserves high recognition! As for the novel, it's a vital piece of American history and a very human tale. Intense and eventually serving as a bit of propaganda itself for socialism. What's clear is that capitalism failed too many lives and that some kind of reform or change was absolutely necessary. Hugely enjoyable and recommended!

This is not Sir Richard Attenborough's Jungle

This is the jungle that is my personal history being of slavic (Polish) extraction. My personal history is with the steel mills and coal mines nearby. In this story we see the struggle of the immigrants to an earlier America in another industry. If you do not realize that this is a historical retelling of the actual lives of people in America you missed a big part of American history. This is not fiction.
Here's a reality check. You know how Julian Assange leaked secret documents about the war in the middle east. You remember how the Watergate Scandal led to the resignation of Nixon as president. Well "the Jungle" was as big an expose' in it's time for telling the truth aobut the meat packing industry. This led to the current involvement of the Food and Drug Admin in our daily lives (yes thank you )... So you owe it to yourself to read the history of where we were back then and how greed is truly a deadly sin, and not just for the greedy.

I really liked this book until the ending.

I had heard that this book made the US look into the meat business and I can certainly see why. However, this book is so much more than just an expose of dirty business dealings. It's a wonderful story of our immigrant ancestors life in the mid west during the late 1890's through about 1910. I have so much respect for all they survived. My family were factory workers in Michigan and had to learn English also. They came from Sweden, Poland, and Holland.

This book would have gotten a glowing review from me if it wouldn't have included the last 3 chapters, which contained propaganda about socialism. I wouldn't have minded even if they said that the hero found strength in socialism in his later years and left it at that. Instead we have to listen to an entire speech on socialism in the 29th chapter and then Jurgis' new job with a socialist employer and the final chapter another speech leading up to election day and ending with a rallying cry that they would prevail. Oh, brother! The whole tone of the novel changes and is told in this pie in the sky manner that it no longer is believable. Very disappointing.

Casey Affleck does an adequate job as narrator. Sometimes his inflections were a little off and it was hard for me to get enthused.

For the most part this book is wonderful especially for genealogists who have found relatives that came to America in this time period. That is why I gave it 4 stars. The last 3 chapters I would give a 1 star.

Enlightening Details. Phenomenal Narration.

This was assigned reading in high school; therefore, because of blatant rebellion coupled with youthful ignorance, I neglected to partake in my teenage years. This novel nearly transformed a devoted meat-eater into a vegetarian. The characters are well defined and the material dangerously realistic.

Sad Story, Good narration

If you could sum up The Jungle: A Signature Performance by Casey Affleck in three words, what would they be?

Casey does a great "third grade teacher" impression with his character voices and reads the foreign words and names pretty well.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Well, I felt for Jurgis the most since he was the protagonist. He was such a genuine character all the way through. It is sad to such such a good man turn sour after life continued to hand him rotten lemons.

Which scene was your favorite?

Sadly, The Jungle doesn't have "favorite" scenes as all good things quickly turned into horrible situations.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Jurgis was given a $100 bill and in his joy realized that there was danger in using it. It was heartbreaking to see what happened. Poor Jurgis. Can't catch a break.

Any additional comments?

Just over and over again Jurgis was screwed over.

Excellent Story

Excellent story. The ending is stupid, but quaint in its ignorance and fascinating as a historical snapshot. The main bulk of the saga is incredibly dark and unrelenting- I really appreciate how well you’re thrust into the character’s shoes. Makes me happy I live in a time where there are so many opportunities. Affleck does an excellent job with narration, his wan cadence really matching the book’s dreariness. [AUDIBLE]

great story

i was born in Chicago and never knew anything about the stock yards i recommend

Great book but beware celebrity narrator

What a wonderful book. Rich language, endearing protagonist. Who knew that meat packing and deplorable working conditions could be so captivating? The book flies by and is very enjoyable despite being incredibly depressing. It is also a great reminder of the failures of laissez faire capitalism in the face of consolidated market power. Regulation is not always the enemy!

That said, this narration is truly awful. Casey Affleck doing national accents is a joke, very distracting, and frankly an insult to audio books (and most ethnicities represented in the book). I don't mind his sheepish, mumble delivery - indeed, a quite like it - but these accents (when he chooses to use them) are a travesty. Also it sounds like he is sounding out words in places - not even a look over before recording. Thankfully, as the third party narrator, he dies not attempt accents. But much of the dialogue is difficult to endure.

There is another narration available on audible - please do not buy this one!

Beautiful

Such an important work! The narration is beautiful. The picture painted of the poor Chicago families is as beautiful as it appalling but in a balance thats amazing