The Jungle
Score Classic
What it's about
Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant, arrives in Chicago with his family, hoping for the American dream. Instead, the brutal meatpacking plants of Packingtown grind them down: dangerous work, crooked landlords, injury and disease. Upton Sinclair exposed the horrifying conditions of the stockyards and the immigrants who worked in them.
Why it's worth reading
It was one of the ten best-selling books of 1906, and the public outcry led to the first federal food safety laws. It's one of the most influential novels in American history.
You'll love it if you liked
The Grapes of Wrath, Nickel and Dimed or Native Son
Good to know
Its descriptions of the meatpacking plants are graphic. Its final chapters turn into an argument for socialism.
Quick answers
Is The Jungle worth reading?
Yes. It was one of the ten best-selling books of 1906, and the public outcry led to the first federal food safety laws. It ranks #2,346 of the 2,819 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 60.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Jungle about?
Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant, arrives in Chicago with his family, hoping for the American dream. Instead, the brutal meatpacking plants of Packingtown grind them down: dangerous work, crooked landlords, injury and disease. Upton Sinclair exposed the horrifying conditions of the stockyards and the immigrants who worked in them.
How long does it take to read The Jungle?
About 9 hours (350 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Jungle?
If you liked it, try The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich or Native Son by Richard Wright.
By the numbers
- Readers15 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller57 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
One of the ten best-selling books of 1906 (Publishers Weekly).
Where it ranks
Bestseller
- One of the ten best-selling books of 1906 (Publishers Weekly)
Reads as
Moving
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