Oak Hill Public Library

by Hector Tobar

Library Journal Starred Review. When a Chilean mine collapsed in 2010, trapping 33 miners thousands of feet below ground, they were forced to reflect on their lives and hope for salvation while those on the surface attempted to rescue them. Weaving the stories of those trapped in the mountain with those working above to save them, this audiobook rhythmically moves above and below the ground over the 69 days of the miners' entombment. The men made a pact to share their story collectively, and this book clearly reflects the hours of interviews Tobar conducted as the many viewpoints of miners, officials, wives, and girlfriends are told in their own distinct voices and experiences. Narrator Henry Leyva does a wonderful job of relating these emotional stories with both subtlety and inflection. VERDICT This lyrical account sculpts the tales of more than 33 people into a sensational piece of literature.-Melanie Higgins, Orange Cty. Lib. Syst., Orlando, FL (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus The mind-boggling story of 33 Chilean miners trapped 2,000 feet underground for 10 weeks. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and novelist Tobar (The Barbarian Nurseries, 2011, etc.) spins a gripping narrative, taut to the point of explosion, of the 2010 story that made international headlines for weeks. He doesn't rush a complex story with many strands: the men below and their cacophony of woes, the families above, the political maneuvering of the Chilean state, the tightfisted mine owners and the company of rescuers. The locale featured "harsh, waterless surroundings [that] serve as a laboratory for studying the possibility of life on other planets," and the mine itself was a sweltering jackstraw of tunnels, some nearing 100 years in age and ripe for disaster, the rock groaning and hissing as the great tectonic plates collided deep below. Tobar's depiction of the cave-in is cinematic: The ceiling and floor became "undulating waves of stone," then the lights went out as colossal wedges of rock collapsed to seal the exits. The author fully invests readers in the men's plight by portraying the crushing realization of the dire circumstances, individual acts of decency and pettiness, and moments of sublimity and madness. He also devotes sympathetic attention to the gathering tent city of relatives who refused to leave, certainly not until the bodies were recovered. When the first bore hole punched through, suddenly, "the devil is present in the mine, taking form in all the greed, the misunderstanding, the envy, and the betrayals between the men." Ultimately, once the miners made it out alive, via a frightening escape vehicle, life was gooduntil all the other stuff that surfaced along with the miners began to bring many of them down. An electrifying, empathetic work of journalism that makes a four-year-old story feel fresh. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and novelist Tobar (The Barbarian Nurseries) presents the riveting story of the 33 men who spent 69 days trapped more than 2,000 feet underground in Chile's San Jose Mine in 2010. Noting that the abundance of minerals under the hills of the Atacama desert drew workers from all corners of Chile, Tobar-who was granted exclusive access to the miners and their families-compassionately recounts the miners' personal histories, experiences during the 17 days they were without outside contact, extended rescue, and the drama above ground with the families living near the mine in their makeshift "Camp Esperanza," mingling with government ministers, NASA advisors, engineers, mechanics, and drillers. Particularly moving is the reenactment of the first 17 days when the "33" banded together, drinking dirty water used to cool off the mine's drilling systems and sharing their meager food supplies. Feeling as though "they are living inside a Bible parable," the men keep their hopes up through prayer, and some gravitate toward particular roles: the pastor, the chronicler, the unofficial spokesman. Tobar vividly narrates the miners' lives post-rescue as they come to terms with their life-changing experience and the media frenzy surrounding it. Rich in local color, this is a sensitive, suspenseful rendering of a legendary story. Agent: Jay Mandel, WME. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Tobar (The Barbarian Nurseries) relates the story of the 33 Chilean miners who were trapped thousands of feet underground for over two months. A significant portion of the narrative portrays the initial, critical days of survival against starvation. Before rescuers could reach the group, the men managed without assistance by rationing what little food was available, drinking water that was meant for their equipment, and depending on one another for support. As their time trapped below ground lengthened, and rescue efforts grew ever more complex, the men became the object of worldwide media attention. Deep Down Dark details that international rescue effort and the perseverance of those above ground, including mining experts from the United States and Chile, scientists from NASA, and family members who lived near the mine in a tent city for the duration of the rescue. Verdict A compelling account of a modern miracle for readers interested in survival narratives and contemporary accounts of recent mining disasters.-Jim Hahn, Univ. of Illinois Lib., Urbana (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Actor and audiobook veteran Leyva provides a perfect fit for Tobar's acclaimed chronicle of the 2010 accident inside Chile's San Jose mine and the harrowing experiences of the miners who were trapped underground for 69 days. Leyva handles the Latin American accents with finesse, never descending into caricatures. His portrayals of the complicated love triangles at the center of several of the trapped men's households above ground never fail to entertain. Leyva also does a masterly job recreating the tensions surrounding matters of faith and spirituality, as evangelical Christian Jose Henriquez leads the men in organized worship services, which gradually become more polarizing. Any narrative with so many characters requires a bit of mental juggling from listeners, but it's a captivating ride nonetheless. Leyva does an excellent job building anticipation with his speech patterns and changes in intensity, and he allows the national spirit of Chile to shine through. A Farrar, Straus and Giroux hardcover. (Oct.) � Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Book list In 2007, the world was riveted by news that 33 men were trapped in a mine thousands of miles beneath the surface in a remote part of Chile. The mine was located in the Atacama Desert, an area so remote that Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet chose it as the site to imprison political dissidents. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tobar draws on interviews with the miners to offer a gripping account of the unprecedented 69 days the men survived underground. The crew began what they thought would be a routine 12-hour shift below the earth in caverns just wide enough for a truck to turn around. Among them were Raul Bustos, who carried a rosary with him; Dario Segovia, who had been scheduled to be off but called in at the last minute for overtime work; Luis Urzua, the supervisor with a topography degree; Jimmy Sanchez, at 18 too young to work in the mines, who begged for the job. Tobar details the harrowing rescue and the emotional and spiritual resolve the men drew on as they struggled to survive in what they thought would be their coffin.--Bush, Vanessa Copyright 2014 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright � American Library Association. Used with permission.

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