Inspiring tale of survival
Our Story: 77 Hours Underground
By Gordon Kent. Harper Collins. 538pp. $29.95.

Reviewer :: Reviewer: LS Rachel Irving

Last July nine coal miners in Pennsylvania, USA, became trapped for 77 hours. They were more than 3km underground when they tapped into an adjacent, flooded mine. A torrent of raging water swept in, almost killing them.

This book is the story of the miners as told to Jeff Goodell.

When the miners became separated, they knew immediately they were in big trouble, but their foreman, Randy, courageously gathered the group and led them to the highest point in the mine. Hearing the water lapping around them, the men sat in a small air pocket and wrote their farewell notes, sealing them in a lunch bucket. As Moe, the miner operator, says, “How do you drown with dignity?”

Our Story is a detailed account of what the miners were thinking and feeling, as well as what was happening above the ground as the wives and families, as well as the whole of America, held their collective breath.

This is a good, easy read, which takes you on a real-life journey of hope and faith in the face of adversity.

It is a look into the minds of men who sat there waiting for death to take them and the joyous moment when they realised they would be rescued.

If you’re looking for a book of inspiration then look no further.