In 2018, we started a series called ‘Read With Me’ where we are sharing all most of what we’ve read each month in hopes you’ll follow suit and dust off that book you’ve been meaning to devour! Here are all the previous Read With Me posts.
Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free by Héctor Tobar
We all know the story of the trapped Chilean miners. I was only in high school, but I remember thinking it was absolutely impossible that there were men living trapped underground for long enough that I was able to forget about them, remembered them, and forget about them again. I’m blaming the news cycle, but still… I just couldn’t understand why we couldn’t get to them if we were managing to skype with them and feed them every day. What gives?! Well, now I know.
I devoured Deep Down Dark over Christmas and New Years vacation. Though my heart was pounding hard in my chest the entire time, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I felt like I went on a harrowing (although super comfy from my beach chair in Hawaii) journey with these men.
I rarely say this, but I’m compelled to read this entire book again. Now that I’m finished and I looked at the portraits for the better part of an hour, I feel like I know these guys and I want to read it from that perspective too. I think next time I read this, I’m going to divvy up the pages so I read just a few every day and make the book stretch out as many days as they were trapped in the mine.
This book completely rearranged my perspective of time. Reading all the details of the collapse and subsequent days of basically starving to death had me grappling. The human will to live is unfathomable. Each of the miners in Deep Down Dark is a hero to me. For 33 men to (mostly) keep it together without a mutiny or major fight is unbelievable. If you can’t tell, I highly recommend this book. Héctor Tobar compiled and arranged the information into a suspenseful and intimate narrative.
You’ll Enjoy Deep Down Dark if :
- You enjoy true stories.
- You like reading about other cultures.
- You are curious about human nature.
- You are curious about the human will to survive.
- You have an interest in mining.
- You faintly or fully remember hearing about the miners when it was unfolding.
A Few Reasons For Why We Should Read More Often :
Expands your vocabulary and improves your writing
I enjoyed the narrative of Deep Down Dark. It was chronological, but it hopped perspectives often. The author showed us what was happening down in the mine, but also above ground with the miners’ families and the rescue efforts. It was interesting to be fed dozens of storylines all at once that all intertwined in different ways throughout the narrative.
Improves your understanding of the world
Deep Down Dark offered not only the Chilean miners’ and laboring class perspectives but also what it meant to be a Chilean citizen during the disaster. I loved reading about the natural landscape like the deserts and mountains of Chile. I also liked getting a peek into the domestic side of things. Learning about family life, parenting, affairs, and traditions and celebrations gave me a broader perspective of the Chilean culture, as I’ve never visited before.
Prepares you to take action and create change
When thinking about the positive implications of Deep Down Dark, I suppose I’m increasingly aware of the privilege I hold especially when it comes to my work life. I often forget that many countries have massive mining operations for my benefit. Working in many countries is very dangerous and that is certainly not something I think about on a weekly basis.
Boosts your imagination and creativity and improves brain function
While reading Deep Down Dark, I was constantly picturing what I would do in that situation. Ick, especially when reading about the nasty skin fungus the miners developed. I would probably still have it if I was in that mine. No joke. I hope I won’t ever need it, but I feel like I have a secret game plan if I ever find myself trapped somewhere. Step 1: start a journal and a prayer or meditation practice. It seems like that was super helpful to a majority of the miners.
Reading sets a great example for those around you
I read Deep Down Dark during a family vacation in Hawaii. When I would pause from clutching my chest, I would enthusiastically share with the group what recent horrors I had just learned. I’m not sure I had anyone convinced to read the book by the end of vaca, but I’m hoping you will!
Books I’m (kinda) reading now :
12 Rules For Life by Jordan Peterson
The Science of Yoga by William J Broad
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Books I’ve finished in 2019 :
Deep Down Dark by Héctor Tobar
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman