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Deep Down Dark
Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free | Héctor Tobar
26 posts | 31 read | 16 to read
When the San José mine collapsed outside of Copiapó, Chile, in August 2010, it trapped thirty-three miners beneath thousands of feet of rock for a record-breaking sixty-nine days. The entire world watched what transpired above-ground during the grueling and protracted rescue, but the saga of the miners' experiences below the Earth's surface—and the lives that led them there—has never been heard until now. For Deep Down Dark, the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Héctor Tobar received exclusive access to the miners and their tales. These thirty-three men came to think of the mine, a cavern inflicting constant and thundering aural torment, as a kind of coffin, and as a church where they sought redemption through prayer. Even while still buried, they all agreed that if by some miracle any of them escaped alive, they would share their story only collectively. Héctor Tobar was the person they chose to hear, and now to tell, that story. The result is a masterwork or narrative journalism—a riveting, at times shocking, emotionally textured account of a singular human event. Deep Down Dark brings to haunting, tactile life the experience of being imprisoned inside a mountain of stone, the horror of being slowly consumed by hunger, and the spiritual and mystical elements that surrounded working in such a dangerous place. In its stirring final chapters, it captures the profound way in which the lives of everyone involved in the disaster were forever changed.
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Blueberry
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Crazeedi Oh my I remember this!!!!! 2y
Blueberry @Crazeedi right?! The tension as the whole world followed it. 2y
Crazeedi @Blueberry It was a miracle 2y
Klou Wow, sounds like a powerful read! Great choice!! 2y
61 likes4 comments
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rather_be_reading
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This sounded so good and its on sale!

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EmilieGR
Pickpick

Fascinating

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Victoriahoperose
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Mehso-so

A little bit dry but definitely fascinating to read about what these men went through being trapped in the mines for so long.

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JenReadsAlot
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Pickpick

Incredible story of the 33 Chilean miners trapped and their survival. #audio

DrexEdit I loved this book. Really good reporting on this story and told with such compassion for the people. Knowing what I know about this though makes me really worried for those kids trapped in the cave in Thailand! 6y
JenReadsAlot @DrexEdit Oh I know I have been thinking about them as well when I was listening to this... 6y
28 likes1 stack add2 comments
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plemmdog
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I can‘t believe this has been in my to-read pile for almost three years and I‘m just now getting to it. So far, so good. The best writers still manage to maintain a masterful way of creating suspense even when you already know the ending. Tobar is no exception.

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Cinfhen
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#GetMovin The amazing true life rescue of the 33 men trapped inside the Chilean Mine, racing against time to reach #HigherGround. I listened to the #audio which was just ok, due to all the names of the men. It was difficult to remember all their jobs & backstories without having the book to reference. I think I may have done better with this book in print form. I did watch the movie, I found that helpful after the audio.

TrishB What a story!! 6y
Cathythoughts I remember when this happened. Very scary & so great that they were saved ( I can‘t remember if all were saved) I think so. ðŸ‘ðŸ»â¤ï¸ 6y
Ms_T I was glued to the TV watching this when it happened. Such an incredible rescue operation ðŸ™ðŸ» 6y
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Cinfhen Yes, all were rescued although I think one may have died from a heart condition ( can‘t remember @Cathythoughts ) sometimes I mix up my rescue stories @Ms_T but this was really incredible! 6y
Reviewsbylola Yet another Chilean disaster story. 😂 I‘m in the valley of the Andes Mountains. 😂😂😂 6y
Cinfhen ALIVE was quite a disaster @Reviewsbylola 😬😳 6y
92 likes3 stack adds6 comments
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GamehenLynn
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Best kind of Saturday morning!

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Jenniferlikes2read
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Yippee I â¤ï¸ bookclub Saturday!

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GamehenLynn
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Bookclub Reading... â­ï¸

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GamehenLynn
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GamehenLynn
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Bookclub Selection for August #bobcatbookclub

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Mindyrecycles
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Pickpick
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BookmarkTavern
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"You defend your humanity with patience and determination, by making your voice heard to those who judge you a lesser being for your timeworn clothes, your callused hands, and your sunburned skin." #overdrive

BookmarkTavern Also, I do not recommend listening to this at work. I had two people walk past me, backtrack, and drop Kleenex on my keyboard. 7y
9 likes1 stack add1 comment
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LisaJo
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#LyricalApril #True Beautifully written book. Recommended by Ann Patchett.

Cinfhen I switched between audio,book and film - it was a TRULY fascinating story 💙💙💙 7y
32 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Erynecki
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Pickpick

I remember the news but what a story! Tobar has great pacing and even though there are so many people in the story, I never felt lost.

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LisaJo
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This one is a mouthful, try to say it three times fast. #MarchIntoReading #AlliterativeTitles

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CaitS
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Pickpick

The story of 33 men trapped for months in a Chilean mine. Because it's a true story, I knew the ending, but it's still fascinating to read about these men's struggles to endure, their faith and support in each other--and the tremendous efforts on the surface to rescue them. Provides plenty of information about mining without being boring.

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Liberty
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BOOM! Shake-shake-shake the room. 💥 📚 😂

BibliophileMomma The way Jack Skellington is sitting he kind of looks mischievous like he caused the books to fall 🤣🤣🤣 7y
DGRachel 😱 7y
Liberty @Tiffness83 Great, now I'm going to have to put him outside at night. 😂 7y
See All 6 Comments
TheBookAddict @Tiffness83 🤣ðŸ‘🽠@Liberty 🤣👻 7y
Ubookquitous Love Jack Skellington 7y
Erynecki Just started this! I met Hector at the Sacramento Library fundraiser last month and has such a nice conversation with him. 7y
230 likes3 stack adds6 comments
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BookmarkTavern
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I am #thankfulfor a lot of things this year in the face of the utter pile of BS this year has been. I'm thankful for a supportive family, a steady and safe job, all the books that make me grow and learn, and everyone here on Litsy. The future is going to be rough, and it will be nice to have a safe place to retreat to when needed â¤ï¸. #photoadaynov16 @RealLifeReading

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8little_paws
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Pickpick

today's #booktober challenge is a book set in South America. Deep Down Dark is the true story of the thirty three miners trapped during a mine collapse in Chile, and how they survived and were rescued. You get a sense of what the miners lives were like before and after the collapse as well. My only complaint is I wish this book had visuals! @RealLifeReading

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Cinfhen
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So I bailed on the book, and choose to watch the film The 33🙊The movie was excellent, reminding me that sometimes, film can do a book justice. I kept reading the book and thinking, I need to visualize this and then I realized I can, thanks to Netflix 🤗 I often prefer the book to the movie but in this case Hollywood won out🎬

HeatherBookNerd I read that book too and it just felt a bit distant even though the events were so heart wrenching and intense. Maybe it's the writing. Glad the movie is good. I may need to watch it. 8y
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Cinfhen
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Started this today, gripping so far. Reads a bit like telenovela...I'm liking this one ,except it's a lot of names to keep track of😳

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Cinfhen
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Woke up to this treat this morning☀ï¸an e- book from the library on a holiday weekend🦄 I 💜the library system📚Happy Reading to all #biblioweekend

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SarahTheSpectator
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"Thirty-Three?" Sepulveda shouts. "The age of Christ! ...' Several other men repeat the phrase... Even for men who aren't especially religious, the number carries an eerie meaning."

#SeptemberPhotoChallenge
#NumberInTheTitle

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catatonic1242
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Pickpick

An interesting dive into the details of the Chilean mine disaster. My only problem was, though the story was very readable, Tobar doesn't have a single protagonist to focus on - he has 33. As a result, the narrative is sometimes hard to follow and isn't as engrossing as I wanted it to be.