The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

Upton Sinclair, although an author, was considered one of the greatest muckraking journalists of his day because of his publication of The Jungle in 1906. Sinclair wrote The Jungle after witnessing first-hand the fraud that occurred within the shadows of the food and drug industry of the early 20th century, and his personal account of this experience was certainly reflected in his novel. Once The Jungle was released, the public could too experience the horrendous living and working conditions of immigrant laborers in their own country.
Dr. Brian Casserly is a professor and historian at the Bellevue College, whose focus is American History in the modern era. Interview clips of Dr. Casserly recorded by Grace Wang and Abby Orler, January 24, 2014.

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"In fact, the nauseating condition of the meat-packing industry that Upton Sinclair captured in The Jungle was the final precipitating force behind both a meat inspection law and a comprehensive food and drug law" (U.S. FDA)