Nampa, Idaho - July 5, 2026 - I thought I could do it—reading Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906) after having read John Steinbeck’s gut-wrenching The Grapes of Wrath (1939) only months earlier. I limped through the first half of Sinclair’s seminal novel, a fictional story exposing the horrific conditions of the Chicago meatpacking industry, before calling it quits, saying, “Enough already—I can’t take it!” Apparently, I have no stomach when it comes to the plight of the innocent, especially if the story is based on facts gathered firsthand by the author.
The two books are eerily similar, each centered on an uprooted, multigenerational family in distress as they struggle for economic security and independence in unfamiliar and hostile environments. Whereas Steinbeck’s Joad family faces poverty, prejudice, and cruelty as migrant farmworkers in 1930s-central California, Sinclair’s Rudkus family is subjected to even worse indignities as workers in the stockyard district in early 20th-century Chicago. Shockingly, it took a muckraking exposé like The Jungle to force the government’s hand. The book’s release spurred the creation of the Meat Inspection Act, authorizing USDA oversight of the meatpacking industry, and the Pure Food and Drug Act, which ultimately gave rise to the FDA. In other words, the heartless owners of these hellish enterprises had to be publicly shamed before lifting a finger to ensure the safety of their employees and those who consumed their products. How disgusting.
However, most disturbingly, 30 years later, it’s “déjà vu all over again.” This time, it was Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath that uncovered the horrendous working conditions and slave wages of the agricultural workers on large California farms, triggering congressional investigations and, ultimately, migrant worker rights and protections. At this point, it’s difficult for me to believe that any change has taken place—at least the kind of change that doesn’t separate a human being from basic needs and dignity. I believe America does a terrific job of making it look like real change has taken place when in truth it’s a game packed with appeasement and lies. What’s coming next—a book exposing the exploitation of Amazon workers in its fulfillment centers? A tell-all account of how Uber and DoorDash executives capitalize on the desperation of their drivers? To me, the mantra never changes in this country: corporate greed over human need.
-Chuck Trunks
“This work was written independently by the author without the use of generative AI.”
Trunks Art moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Nampa, Idaho, in 2025 and has made this city his home and writing inspiration.
To see more of my work, please have a look at more posts or email me at chucktrunks@gmail.com. Or, visit my website at www.trunksart.com. Also, you can find me on Instagram (chucktrunks) and Facebook (Chuck Trunks).
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