pagesofpins's review
3.0
I really appreciated that the author sensitively covered both the effects of trauma from the mine and of being idolized by a nation. In places a bit hard to remember who is who, picture where they are, ect, but overall an interesting story. So cool that they got these guys out alive!
jmooremyers's review
4.0
favorite passages:
"Once, Monica strode across the dry, dusty surface of the mountain in her sleep. Though they are filled with tears, her eyes are open this morning and she is fully awake and alert and present for the first time in seventeen days, watching the camp and its wives and girlfriends and brothers and sons speak, their breath visible in the air of a morning just turning to light." [page 167]
"They are famous now, yes, but that heady sense of fullness that fame gives you, that sense of being at the center of everything, will disappear quicker than they could possibly imagine." [page 243]
"From all these strangers, Luis does not get the sense that they think he's a hero, necessarily, or that they're in awe of him. Rather, he understands that it's as if he and these strangers had lived something together: a shared experience with him in the mine and them on the outside. What he feels from these strangers is the gratitude of people who've been given a true and hopeful story, a timeless legend born of their own time, in a humble country in the shadow of the Andes." [page 302]
"Once, Monica strode across the dry, dusty surface of the mountain in her sleep. Though they are filled with tears, her eyes are open this morning and she is fully awake and alert and present for the first time in seventeen days, watching the camp and its wives and girlfriends and brothers and sons speak, their breath visible in the air of a morning just turning to light." [page 167]
"They are famous now, yes, but that heady sense of fullness that fame gives you, that sense of being at the center of everything, will disappear quicker than they could possibly imagine." [page 243]
"From all these strangers, Luis does not get the sense that they think he's a hero, necessarily, or that they're in awe of him. Rather, he understands that it's as if he and these strangers had lived something together: a shared experience with him in the mine and them on the outside. What he feels from these strangers is the gratitude of people who've been given a true and hopeful story, a timeless legend born of their own time, in a humble country in the shadow of the Andes." [page 302]
jfbfsf's review
4.0
This was a thoughtful, in depth retelling of an infamous event, when 33 miners survived a mine collapse in Chile and then spent weeks trapped underground, as their country worked to free them and the whole world watched.
Parts of this story are slow - setting the scene in the Atacama desert, introducing the characters as they travel to the mine on the day of the collapse, giving them each some backstory, talking about their families. But I felt like all that was the point. The world knows the story - you can look it up on Wikipedia if you didn't live through it. This is a deeper investigation into who went into that mine, how they survived over two months trapped underground, and what happened to them after they were freed. The author is evenhanded and sympathetic to all of the characters, something that must have been challenging after hearing this event told from 33 different perspectives. It's clear that he took seriously the responsibility of telling the miners story, particularly since the miners themselves trusted him to write their official account.
An excellent, worthwhile read.
Parts of this story are slow - setting the scene in the Atacama desert, introducing the characters as they travel to the mine on the day of the collapse, giving them each some backstory, talking about their families. But I felt like all that was the point. The world knows the story - you can look it up on Wikipedia if you didn't live through it. This is a deeper investigation into who went into that mine, how they survived over two months trapped underground, and what happened to them after they were freed. The author is evenhanded and sympathetic to all of the characters, something that must have been challenging after hearing this event told from 33 different perspectives. It's clear that he took seriously the responsibility of telling the miners story, particularly since the miners themselves trusted him to write their official account.
An excellent, worthwhile read.
cher_n_books's review
4.0
4 stars - It was great. I loved it.
A personable and evocative story told by a journalist that is capable of writing a narrative nonfiction book. Now, on to the movie.
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Favorite Quote: It seems silly to Franklin for his fellow miners to think of themselves as national heroes when all they’ve done is gotten themselves trapped in a place where only the desperate and the hard up for cash go to suffer and toil. They are famous now, yes, but that heady sense of fullness that fame gives you, that sense of being at the center of everything, will disappear quicker than they could possibly imagine. Franklin tries to speak this truth to his fellow miners, but he does so halfheartedly, because he knows the only way to learn it is to live it.
First Sentence: The San José Mine is located inside a round, rocky, and lifeless mountain in the Atacama Desert in Chile.
A personable and evocative story told by a journalist that is capable of writing a narrative nonfiction book. Now, on to the movie.
-------------------------------------------
Favorite Quote: It seems silly to Franklin for his fellow miners to think of themselves as national heroes when all they’ve done is gotten themselves trapped in a place where only the desperate and the hard up for cash go to suffer and toil. They are famous now, yes, but that heady sense of fullness that fame gives you, that sense of being at the center of everything, will disappear quicker than they could possibly imagine. Franklin tries to speak this truth to his fellow miners, but he does so halfheartedly, because he knows the only way to learn it is to live it.
First Sentence: The San José Mine is located inside a round, rocky, and lifeless mountain in the Atacama Desert in Chile.
amysutton's review
3.0
This is an incredible story of resilience and miraculous science. I just really wish that it was written in a way that made me feel inspired and awed. I’m not sure why I feel so snarky towards this book. It just wasn’t quite what I was expecting.
— The narrative nonfiction style was weirdly done in this one. I feel like the author added in random details to try to make the subjects come to life and seem realistic, but it came across as irrelevant description. (e.g. when one of the miners is hit during the avalanche and his teeth are knocked out, the author tells a quick story about how that person had just been to the dentist last week. It was a very odd detail to add.)
— The pacing was a bit odd. I certainly felt concerned for the characters, but I never felt fully invested in the story or on the edge of my seat as I expected. The miners are saved about halfway through the book, and the rest of the story is about them waiting.
— There was way too much personal life info added in about the miners’ family drama. I really didn’t want to know that the miners were still married but living with girlfriends and keeping both women at peace. The way those details were shared seemed exploitative.
— Did we really need the birth canal metaphor? Did we really need it to be an extended birth metaphor that was mentioned 20 times?
— The narrative nonfiction style was weirdly done in this one. I feel like the author added in random details to try to make the subjects come to life and seem realistic, but it came across as irrelevant description. (e.g. when one of the miners is hit during the avalanche and his teeth are knocked out, the author tells a quick story about how that person had just been to the dentist last week. It was a very odd detail to add.)
— The pacing was a bit odd. I certainly felt concerned for the characters, but I never felt fully invested in the story or on the edge of my seat as I expected. The miners are saved about halfway through the book, and the rest of the story is about them waiting.
— There was way too much personal life info added in about the miners’ family drama. I really didn’t want to know that the miners were still married but living with girlfriends and keeping both women at peace. The way those details were shared seemed exploitative.
— Did we really need the birth canal metaphor? Did we really need it to be an extended birth metaphor that was mentioned 20 times?
susiejo124's review against another edition
4.0
I purchased this book after I heard NPR's Fresh Air book reviewer Maureen Corrigan's review. I like adventure and survival stories so it was right up my alley. It does not 0disappoint. This is the story of the 33 miners who were trapped underground in the mine for 69 days in 2010. I remember following the rescue on the news and remember Saturday Night Live's joke about "Don't be a whiner, think of the miners". The author was the one chosen to tell the story (is there a movie in production?) The miners made a pact while still trapped in the mine that they would speak as one voice and tell the story as a team. The author, Hector Tobar, was selected to tell their story.
And boy, what a story it was. The author introduces the lives of the miners which was sometimes messy with affairs and family issues before the entrapment, the culture of mining in Chile, and desolation of the area. Once the miners were trapped and they slowly starved (they drank dirty water)it was captivating to learn how they worked together and dealt with the airless and humid conditions of the mine. They even joked about who would be the first to be eaten (which I thought was disrobing and, thankfully never happened. The book noted that the miners worked and prayed together and that it was only when they were close to being rescued that some of the miners began to lose their brotherly bond and at least one miner broke their agreement of speaking about telling about their experience together. The families of the miners who camped at the mine kept the focus on the rescue, holding the politicians and mining company accountable.
This was a quick, gripping read and I look forward to the movie. Tobar vividly described the events of the entrapment and how the miners dealt with returning to their families and lives when they were rescued. One miner even went back to mining!
And boy, what a story it was. The author introduces the lives of the miners which was sometimes messy with affairs and family issues before the entrapment, the culture of mining in Chile, and desolation of the area. Once the miners were trapped and they slowly starved (they drank dirty water)it was captivating to learn how they worked together and dealt with the airless and humid conditions of the mine. They even joked about who would be the first to be eaten (which I thought was disrobing and, thankfully never happened. The book noted that the miners worked and prayed together and that it was only when they were close to being rescued that some of the miners began to lose their brotherly bond and at least one miner broke their agreement of speaking about telling about their experience together. The families of the miners who camped at the mine kept the focus on the rescue, holding the politicians and mining company accountable.
This was a quick, gripping read and I look forward to the movie. Tobar vividly described the events of the entrapment and how the miners dealt with returning to their families and lives when they were rescued. One miner even went back to mining!
blevins's review
5.0
This is a great piece of journalism from Hector Tobar. I don't really watch or pay attention to the news to be honest and I knew absolutely nothing about the book's subject--the Chilean mine disaster and the attempt to rescue them. I had heard of the mine's collapse and that there were men trapped there but I didn't know how many or how long they were buried deep below the earth's surface. For the sake of this book's power, I'm glad I didn't know the story as my ignorance made it riveting, absolutely riveting.
Tobar does a wonderful job telling not only the story of the miners below but their families above and the desperate attempt to get them out that was on the surface. The book is also very touching, as Tobar taps into the notion that these hardworking men who live very ordinary lives working, working, working, went through an extraordinary event that changed them forever. Highly likely my favorite non-fiction book in 2015.
Tobar does a wonderful job telling not only the story of the miners below but their families above and the desperate attempt to get them out that was on the surface. The book is also very touching, as Tobar taps into the notion that these hardworking men who live very ordinary lives working, working, working, went through an extraordinary event that changed them forever. Highly likely my favorite non-fiction book in 2015.
bethgiven's review
3.0
This is the true story of the Chilean miners who were trapped underground for sixty-nine days, the story that captivated the whole world. I didn't follow the story when it was happening (though I did hear about it) so this was basically all new to me.
I am going back and forth between three and four stars on this one. On the one hand, I found the story to be incredibly interesting and downright gripping at times. I'd never considered the difficulties these men had to go through, both before and after they'd be reached underground (at first you have to deal with starvation; then you have the long and arduous emotional ordeal) and then before and after they had been brought to the surface (all of these men had to deal with instant celebrity -- and the public scrutiny and judgment that comes with it -- along with PTSD). The rescue efforts were phenomenal. What an amazing story, and the author does a good job in presenting it at a decent pace.
But still, I had a hard time with this book. It might be just that I was reading this during a busy month, but I found it hard to feel connected to any of men -- there were just so many of them, so even though the author was really phenomenal at reminding the reader who was who, I still had a hard time following. It took me several weeks to read this (probably just bad timing) so I had a hard time feeling engaged.
Clean readers: this has more swear words in it than I usually tolerate, including at least a half-dozen instances of the f-word. I learned a couple of new Spanish profanities too. :-/
I am going back and forth between three and four stars on this one. On the one hand, I found the story to be incredibly interesting and downright gripping at times. I'd never considered the difficulties these men had to go through, both before and after they'd be reached underground (at first you have to deal with starvation; then you have the long and arduous emotional ordeal) and then before and after they had been brought to the surface (all of these men had to deal with instant celebrity -- and the public scrutiny and judgment that comes with it -- along with PTSD). The rescue efforts were phenomenal. What an amazing story, and the author does a good job in presenting it at a decent pace.
But still, I had a hard time with this book. It might be just that I was reading this during a busy month, but I found it hard to feel connected to any of men -- there were just so many of them, so even though the author was really phenomenal at reminding the reader who was who, I still had a hard time following. It took me several weeks to read this (probably just bad timing) so I had a hard time feeling engaged.
Clean readers: this has more swear words in it than I usually tolerate, including at least a half-dozen instances of the f-word. I learned a couple of new Spanish profanities too. :-/
swoody788's review
4.0
I can't say that I was glued to the television as these events unfolded back in 2010, but I was aware of what was happening and intrigued by it nonetheless. I remember watching one of the rescued miners speak with David Letterman and sing Elvis to the audience. He seemed so jovial and upbeat. Now I know his name (Edison Peña), and that he was anything but happy and content, I have gotten a glimpse of what he and his 32 companions endured - not only as they were trapped a few thousand feet underground for 69 days but also the struggles they had to deal with after they were rescued. I feel like Tobar told this story just right - it was informative in a scientific as well as a psychological way - and lets the reader discern how they feel about the actions of everyone involved. I appreciate how religious everyone seems to be in South America, and how the faith of these men and their families and their nation and continent really brought everyone together, but it was interesting to see the change that some experienced with their new found fame, whether good or bad. These were just regular working class men who were brought together by a tragedy, and the variation of their reactions was fascinating. Honestly I feel like the most difficult thing they had to endure and overcome was getting back to "normal" after they were rescued, although the idea of living on a teaspoon of canned tuna and an Oreo a day in the dark seems pretty terrible.
Also, Tobar did a pretty good job of describing and helping the reader keep up with the 33 men involved, and I appreciated the photographs of each at the beginning of the book because I regularly had to flip back and see who was who. Some men definitely played a larger role in the story and therefore got a lot more page time so it was easy to remember them, but others just kind of ran together in my mind from the edge of night on.
Also, Tobar did a pretty good job of describing and helping the reader keep up with the 33 men involved, and I appreciated the photographs of each at the beginning of the book because I regularly had to flip back and see who was who. Some men definitely played a larger role in the story and therefore got a lot more page time so it was easy to remember them, but others just kind of ran together in my mind from the edge of night on.