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andreaaaoid's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
4.0
sloatsj's review against another edition
3.0
“All the evenness of life, the ‘light’ part of it, really stunned me,” Edison says. “It shocked me to see people walking around, living normally. It shocked me because I would say ‘Hey, where I come from isn’t like that. I come from a place where we were fighting desperately to live.’ I came out and found this shit called peace. It threw me off.
That’s my favorite passage of the book. Of course, Edison Pena is the miner who falls apart most severely in the aftermath of rescue.
The story was well told, and sometimes moving, but overall it lacked oomph. As admirable as it is to try to tell the story of all the miners collectively, it’s inevitable that some emerge as stronger or more remarkable or insightful personalities, while the wallflowers fade into the dark stone of the mine. That made some of the mentions seem gratuitous, like the author had to get everyone’s name in somehow. I understand, yet it’s transparent.
Underground, there were squabbles and low spirits and fear, but there was no epic struggle. It was awful to be trapped, but it was also boring: long days of darkness and monotonous anxiety. At times I felt the writer was padding the book with whatever he could unearth – going through his notes for the best quotes and anecdotes, but some of them were short-lived conflicts or emotions that went out with a whimper rather than a bang, and then it was on to the next thing.
Of course, that’s how it was, so what was I expecting? I guess when you slap the dubious word “miracle” in the title you’re setting some readers up to be underwhelmed.
That’s my favorite passage of the book. Of course, Edison Pena is the miner who falls apart most severely in the aftermath of rescue.
The story was well told, and sometimes moving, but overall it lacked oomph. As admirable as it is to try to tell the story of all the miners collectively, it’s inevitable that some emerge as stronger or more remarkable or insightful personalities, while the wallflowers fade into the dark stone of the mine. That made some of the mentions seem gratuitous, like the author had to get everyone’s name in somehow. I understand, yet it’s transparent.
Underground, there were squabbles and low spirits and fear, but there was no epic struggle. It was awful to be trapped, but it was also boring: long days of darkness and monotonous anxiety. At times I felt the writer was padding the book with whatever he could unearth – going through his notes for the best quotes and anecdotes, but some of them were short-lived conflicts or emotions that went out with a whimper rather than a bang, and then it was on to the next thing.
Of course, that’s how it was, so what was I expecting? I guess when you slap the dubious word “miracle” in the title you’re setting some readers up to be underwhelmed.
jamiebooks15's review against another edition
4.0
This was SUUCH a good book. It started out kind of rough for me (since the author really does tell the stories of the 33 men... there are a lot of names and stories to keep straight without much context at first.) I admit to not following this too closely at the time, but this is probably a better way to hear the story anyway! I was so fascinated by how they survived, the group dynamics and how making contact with the outside changed their dynamics. (They were isolated for 3 weeks until a drill found them, and was able to send them supplies.) The way fame and money (or even the promise of them) changed their outlooks and relationships was really interesting. And just how improbable their survival and rescue were... just amazing.
In the vein of Unbroken and A House in the Sky, it was an inspiring read just to see what people can survive.
In the vein of Unbroken and A House in the Sky, it was an inspiring read just to see what people can survive.
teaandlibri's review against another edition
1.0
Plodding retelling of the 33 Chilean miners. Like many others, I was totally riveted by the story of the Chilean Miners who became stuck in mine for 69 days. I admit to being totally cynical, that something would go wrong and/or they would all be dead by the time the "rescue" was complete. It was wonderful to find out of course that they all survived relatively in good health physically and it was interesting, to say the least, to read up on some of the complications (such as the miners having romantic complications, the usage of NASA as a reference for the psychological needs of the men in isolation, etc.)
But I thought overall the story was rather tedious. I thought the book took far too long to get to the point. For me the story was really about the rescue: from how the men would be extracted to how NASA and other resources could help keep the spirits of the men up to the medical dangers they faced, etc.
It's my understanding this started out as a magazine article and unfortunately it seems there was a trap to expand an article into something larger. As some other reviewers complain elsewhere, sometimes we read very minute details as to what the men felt, ate, thought, etc. Which is somewhat understandable considering they had nowhere to go and were waiting for their rescue that relied almost completely on the surface people. But such detail perhaps wasn't necessary and made the reading dull.
I also found it difficult with no pictures, maps or diagrams. For someone who followed this story or has familiarity with the area of Chile where this was located or with mining, etc. might not need it. But news media were peppered with diagrams with how small the area the men were in, a map of the mine itself, how the drills would dig for the men, etc. No visuals and just wordy descriptions made it difficult for me to visualize as well.
In his acknowledgements the author writes that the miners entrusted this story to him as a group, and I wonder, with such a large group of men, it was just too difficult to distinguish then individually. It's understandable that they would want to remain as a group without the often division into factions and rancor (and lawsuits and the soap operas) that sometimes happens after such an event, but it may have hurt the retelling of the story. Some of that does appear in the end, which was probably inevitable.
It was still an interesting read, but I strongly recommend having Google if you want to remember what things looked like or to cross-reference items.
But I thought overall the story was rather tedious. I thought the book took far too long to get to the point. For me the story was really about the rescue: from how the men would be extracted to how NASA and other resources could help keep the spirits of the men up to the medical dangers they faced, etc.
It's my understanding this started out as a magazine article and unfortunately it seems there was a trap to expand an article into something larger. As some other reviewers complain elsewhere, sometimes we read very minute details as to what the men felt, ate, thought, etc. Which is somewhat understandable considering they had nowhere to go and were waiting for their rescue that relied almost completely on the surface people. But such detail perhaps wasn't necessary and made the reading dull.
I also found it difficult with no pictures, maps or diagrams. For someone who followed this story or has familiarity with the area of Chile where this was located or with mining, etc. might not need it. But news media were peppered with diagrams with how small the area the men were in, a map of the mine itself, how the drills would dig for the men, etc. No visuals and just wordy descriptions made it difficult for me to visualize as well.
In his acknowledgements the author writes that the miners entrusted this story to him as a group, and I wonder, with such a large group of men, it was just too difficult to distinguish then individually. It's understandable that they would want to remain as a group without the often division into factions and rancor (and lawsuits and the soap operas) that sometimes happens after such an event, but it may have hurt the retelling of the story. Some of that does appear in the end, which was probably inevitable.
It was still an interesting read, but I strongly recommend having Google if you want to remember what things looked like or to cross-reference items.
amuriset's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
bhsmith's review against another edition
4.0
I remember this story poking around the news cycle a few years ago, but I never followed much of the drama or really knew much of the story. When NPR decided to start their "Morning Reads" book club several weeks ago with "Deep Down Dark" as their first choice, I thought it sounded like an interesting book to pick up.
And... it was!
Thirty-three miners went in to their mine on an August morning and a collapse left them trapped thousands of feet below the surface. They had very little food and were forced to live in hot. humid conditions without any way to reach the outside world. After 17 days, and on the brink of starvation, a drill from the surface finally pokes through, giving the men hope that they will be rescued from the mine.
This book dives deep into the many different questions I found myself asking about the situation the miners found themselves in... physical, emotional, spiritual, logistical, etc. Author Hector Tobar spends equal time weighing the mental stress and anxiety with the physical toll taking place below ground. He explores spirituality and family matters with an intensely personal touch. It is no secret that the miners all survived, so he allows us to hear from most all of them as they recount the experience, what brought them in to the mine, what they were thinking, and many of their most painful moments. And, he explains the logistics of mining and mine rescue, which is central to this story.
Even though the entire book is pretty well described in the subtitle, this is still a page-turning description of what happened. While I know they all get out safe, part of me thinks that maybe something goes wrong (because the chances of something terrible happing are so high), or maybe there is some complication I'm not aware of. Tobar builds up this drama throughout the book and certainly kept me reading.
And... it was!
Thirty-three miners went in to their mine on an August morning and a collapse left them trapped thousands of feet below the surface. They had very little food and were forced to live in hot. humid conditions without any way to reach the outside world. After 17 days, and on the brink of starvation, a drill from the surface finally pokes through, giving the men hope that they will be rescued from the mine.
This book dives deep into the many different questions I found myself asking about the situation the miners found themselves in... physical, emotional, spiritual, logistical, etc. Author Hector Tobar spends equal time weighing the mental stress and anxiety with the physical toll taking place below ground. He explores spirituality and family matters with an intensely personal touch. It is no secret that the miners all survived, so he allows us to hear from most all of them as they recount the experience, what brought them in to the mine, what they were thinking, and many of their most painful moments. And, he explains the logistics of mining and mine rescue, which is central to this story.
Even though the entire book is pretty well described in the subtitle, this is still a page-turning description of what happened. While I know they all get out safe, part of me thinks that maybe something goes wrong (because the chances of something terrible happing are so high), or maybe there is some complication I'm not aware of. Tobar builds up this drama throughout the book and certainly kept me reading.
rlk7m's review against another edition
4.0
Book club selection
This book tells the story of these miners quite well, without dragging out the story. I was especially satisfied with the ending and coverage of the miners' lives post-rescue.
This book tells the story of these miners quite well, without dragging out the story. I was especially satisfied with the ending and coverage of the miners' lives post-rescue.
elinacre's review against another edition
5.0
LOVED this book. sooo interesting to get the perspectives of so many involved in this incident, from the miners themselves to their families on the outside to the government and rescue workers brought in to assist in getting them the hell out of there. the author is a great writer--i appreciated that nearly every time a miner was mentioned, he included a little tidbit that we'd previously learned about him, to help "ring a bell." i would have liked to see more photos, diagrams, maps, visual aids of any sort in the book. i found myself wildly curious about the inside of the mine, and googled and youtubed late into the night watching news clips and videos about the incident. i wish i'd been more interested in this as it was happening back in 2010. anyway, tl:dr: super interesting, super informative, super great. needs more pics. oh, pro tip: i stuck a big rubber band around the front cover to hold the page with the pics of the miners. much easier to turn back and remind myself of the face of the man focused on at any particular point in the book. :)
loveathena98's review against another edition
5.0
Read this for my NEHS book club. Very adult read. Probably one of the more mature pieces I've read. Entertaining, and glad to see a connection to a real world story that I heard about some years ago.
lisa_butler79's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.0
Deep Down Dark - Hector Tobar
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
I read this book for a book with South American connection for my reading challenge. I don't read many non-fiction books probably because I find then hard to get invested in and for this reason I found this book hard to read. I was expecting the untold stories of the 33 miners trapped in the San Jose mine accident in 2010 but the book didn't portray this.
I wanted the more nitty gritty horrors of their survival trapped underground but this book failed to deliver that.
I don't know where I was in 2010 but I have no recollection of seeing this story on the news at all and the book was the first time I knew about this. I had to Google the story a lot whilst reading the book, probably because unlike most non fiction books this book didn't have any photographs to refer to so I struggled to visualise the mine and the rescue.
The book for me just didnt capture the horror, fear and excitement of such a real factual event. It has a lot of facts but the emotional side was missing. I finished the book more out of obligation to my reading challenge then the desire to keep reading.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
I read this book for a book with South American connection for my reading challenge. I don't read many non-fiction books probably because I find then hard to get invested in and for this reason I found this book hard to read. I was expecting the untold stories of the 33 miners trapped in the San Jose mine accident in 2010 but the book didn't portray this.
I wanted the more nitty gritty horrors of their survival trapped underground but this book failed to deliver that.
I don't know where I was in 2010 but I have no recollection of seeing this story on the news at all and the book was the first time I knew about this. I had to Google the story a lot whilst reading the book, probably because unlike most non fiction books this book didn't have any photographs to refer to so I struggled to visualise the mine and the rescue.
The book for me just didnt capture the horror, fear and excitement of such a real factual event. It has a lot of facts but the emotional side was missing. I finished the book more out of obligation to my reading challenge then the desire to keep reading.