c) The Jungle

Upton Sinclair’s novel “The Jungle,” published in 1906, unveiled the harsh realities of the meatpacking industry. This exposé of the unsanitary and inhumane conditions in Chicago’s slaughterhouses led to public outrage and spurred significant reforms in food safety and labor practices. Sinclair’s work was a key example of muckraking journalism during the Progressive Era, highlighting the need for regulatory oversight in industry and the impact of literature in prompting social change.