Upton Sinclair (1878 - 1968) wrote over 90 books in several genres. He was considered to be a leading social advocate. Because of his novel The Jungle, which dealt with conditions in the meat packing industry, The Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act were passed. Upton Sinclair has once again taken on an American cause. He writes about the life in the coal mining area of the Rocky Mountains. The miners are a varied group of European immigrants speaking various languages, making it difficult for them to unite in order to protect themselves against being exploited by the mining company. A young upper class American tries to get work in the mines so that he can observe for himself what the conditions are like.