The Jungle

By: Upton Sinclair

Narrated by: Paul Boehmer

Upton Sinclair's The Jungle is a vivid portrait of life and death in a turn-of-the-century American meat-packing factory. A grim indictment that led to government regulations of the food industry, The Jungle is Sinclair's extraordinary contribution to literature and social reform.Public Domain (P)2008 Tantor

brilliant rendering of an old classic

I was prompted to revisit this old gem because of the recent peanut butter scare. At least, to-day, the perpetrators of that crisis will be dealt with. It wasn't always so, as this book clearly states. This book is a difficult assignment, but the narrator clearly worked long and hard to pronounce the Lithuanian words and proper names. This is a man who brings a book to life--many narrators can't, or won't. This book is not intended for the young, or the faint of heart, as the descriptions of brutality, and the descriptions of conditions under which food was once prepared, are nearly as graphic as Edward R. Murrow's rendering of Buchenwald.

I was Outraged!

This was written as happening at the turn of the century. it's amazing that we are still fighting some of those same battles. Greed. Greed. Greed. When will enough be enough.

Powerful, but...

Sinclair is poignant in bringing his character alive, and knew well their struggles. But the last few chapters degenerate into a propaganda appeal for socialism, and the ending is abrupt. I’m not sorry I read it, and certainly recommend it. But it isn’t without its flaws.

Important

This is an important book that everyone should be exposed to at some point in their life. It was sometimes emotionally difficult but it has themes that are important to understanding political history.

Masterpiece!

I appreciated this even more the second time around, fifty years later. This is a true classic that has withstood the test of time. The first reading is for the story; the second is to appreciate the magnificence of the writing. Boehmer's narration was excellent, befitting of the text. Everyone should experience this fine book at least once, if not twice in their lives--in youth and in maturity.