Upton Sinclair's The Jungle

Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle is an aptly titled book, where the humans in Chicago’s Packingtown of the early 1900’s face essentially the same fate as the animals they butcher and sell to survive.
The story opens with the marriage of Jurgis Rudkus and Ona Lukoszaite, two immigrants from Lithuania who met at a fair a year and a half ago in their native country. When they first met Ona was only fourteen and Jurgis was twenty-five. Although Jurgis genuinely loves Ona, he couldn’t marry her in Lithuania because Ona’s fairly wealthy father thought she was too young. However, when Jurgis returns after the harvest Ona’s father is dead and the family’s finances are in a mess. Ona’s step uncle, Jonas, has started to make plans for the family, including Ona’s stepmother, Teta Elzbietha, and her six young children, to move to America. Supposedly an acquaintance of Jonas’ has made his fortune in America. Jurgis decides to travel to America with the family and his father Ded...