Great American Read: The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
2026-01-13 23:00 - 2026-01-14 00:00 UTC | 635 N. Power Road Mesa AZ 85205
The United States is turning 250 years old in July, and we are celebrating with a special book club highlighting American classics, new and old, in literature. First up in January will be The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. The Jungle is a 1906 novel written by the American journalist and novelist Upton Sinclair (1878–1968). Sinclair wrote the novel to portray the lives of immigrants in the United States in Chicago and similar industrialized cities. Many readers were most concerned with his exposure of health violations and unsanitary practices in the American meatpacking industry during the early 20th century. The book depicts working class poverty, the lack of social supports, harsh and unpleasant living and working conditions, and a hopelessness among many workers. These elements are contrasted with the deeply rooted corruption of people in power. January: The Jungle by Upton SinclairFebruary: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley JacksonMarch: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty SmithApril: The Bluest Eye by Toni MorrisonMay: There There by Tommy OrangeJune: Laughing Boy by Oliver La Farge July: Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
