Deep Down Dark

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Hector Tobar has written a stirring account of the 33 Chilean miners who were trapped in a collapsed mine more than 2,000 feet below the surface. For 69 days! Can you imagine? In August 2010, these miners traveled underground for what they thought would be a 12-hour shift. At some point during that day, the mountain rumbled, and a large stone, estimated to be twice as heavy as the Empire State Building, fell and blocked the only exit from the mine. For the first 17 days of their ordeal, the miners had no idea if rescue was even a possibility. They had only a small amount of food, and not much light other than their battery-operated head lamps. Unknown to them, workers on the surface were scrambling to devise a rescue plan. The government became involved, and mine experts from around the world gathered to help. On the 17th day, a team finally broke through with a drill making a small hole in an area in which they had "guessed" the men would be. From that point on, the men had hope and could receive notes and supplies from the surface. The fact that you may have already seen the news accounts and know the final outcome doesn't detract from the immense readability and suspense of Deep Down Dark. While underground, the men took an oath to protect their story and decide as a group what book and movie rights would be given. Tobar is the author they chose to tell their story. He spent hours interviewing the men, family members, rescuers, and mine officials to piece together a narrative that is factual but also wonderfully personal from many viewpoints. Even if you normally don't read nonfiction, you will enjoy this book.