Germinal, the twelfth book in mile Zola's renowned Rougon-Macquart series, conveys fury at the exploitation of the many by the few while simultaneously illuminating humanity's capacity for compassion and optimism. Unemployed railway worker Etienne Lantier is a bright but ignorant young man with a volatile temper. When he is forced to accept a backbreaking job at Le Voreux mine because he is unable to find alternative employment,...