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The Jacket (The Star-Rover)

"The Jacket (The Star-Rover)" by Jack London is a novel published in 1915. The story follows Darrell Standing, a university professor imprisoned at San Quentin, who endures torture through a compression device called "the jacket." To survive, he enters trance states where he walks among the stars and experiences vivid past lives across different ages and cultures. London based the novel on interviews with a former convict who actually endured this torture device. The work blends science fiction with mysticism and reincarnation themes.

Level C1 pagesEnglish

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Categories: American Literature Novels

Readers: Adults Teens

Suggested age: 16+ (AI estimate)

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Reading guidance

Level C1

Language difficulty is an AI estimate based on sampled text.

Reader and content guidance is an AI estimate based on the title, author, source summary, contents and selected excerpts. Unseen portions have not been assessed.

Recommended age: 16+ (AI estimate)
Independent reading at 16+ best fits the maturity needed for prison torture, impending execution and abstract reincarnation; 14-15 year olds may manage supported reading with adult guidance on context. Based on named-book metadata and selected excerpts; unseen text was not assessed. This is guidance, not an official age rating; individual reading ability varies.

Source: Project Gutenberg · Public domain in the USA.

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