Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (Mining injuries, mild descriptions of burned bodies, peril, death).
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
On November 13, 1909, inside the Cherry Mine in Illinois, kerosine lamps dripped on a mine cart full of bales of straw and caught fire. As the ventilation fans circulated air, they also supplied oxygen to the fire. By the time mine supervisors realized it was out of control, evacuating the miners was difficult and over 300 miners were trapped inside the mine. For the next several days, the miners who were safe from the fire were stranded in areas with bad air and little to no light, no food, and almost no hope of rescue. Above ground, the families desperately waited for news of their loved ones, while mine management tried to control the fire and make it safe for rescuers to retrieve the dead and find the living.
Sally M. Walker (Written in Bone, Blizzard of Glass) is a master storyteller, tying all her well-researched information together into a heart-wrenching narrative non-fiction. I loved all the captioned photographs, the maps of the mine, and the insight into the miners and their families provided by family photos. Especially poignant were the quoted passages from notes written by the miners themselves as they awaited either death or rescue. In addition to the excellent photographs, Walker has included source notes and an index. Underground Fire would be a great addition to your non-fiction section. Most of the miners are immigrants from Europe.
Lisa Librarian
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