33 Men: Inside the Miraculous Survival and Dramatic Rescue of the Chilean Miners

Written by Jonathan Franklin

Narrated by Armando Valdez Kennedy

Having had unparalleled access to the Chilean mine disaster, award-winning journalist Jonathan Franklin takes readers to the heart of a remarkable story of human endurance, survival, and historic heroism.33 Men is the groundbreaking, authoritative account of the Chilean mine disaster, one of the longest human entrapments in history. Rushing to the scene when the miners were discovered, Franklin obtained a coveted "Rescue Team" pass and reported directly from the front lines of the rescue operation, beyond police controls, for six weeks.Based on more than 110 intimate interviews with the miners, their families, and the rescue team, Franklin's narrative captures the remarkable story of these men and women, in details shocking, beautiful, comedic, and heroic. Gripping and raw with never-before-revealed details, 33 Men is a true story that reads like a thriller.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Audio
• Release date: Feb 14, 2011
• ISBN: 9781101499795

Jonathan Franklin

Jonathan Franklin is an investigative journalist who has reported for the New York Times, Boston Globe, and The Guardian. A native of Massachusetts, he resides in Santiago, Chile, with his wife and seven daughters, but often lives off the grid when writing his books.

Reviews for 33 Men

[spooks101-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I will only leave a short review, but I will say this. This is an exceptionally well researched, well written, heart felt book on the Chilean Miners rescue. Detailed, thought provoking and informative. This is a very easy to read fiction book and I literally couldn't put it down. I would highly recommend this one as a good news story that we often need in these sometimes depressing times we live in.

[whisper1_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Incredibly well written, this is truly just as the title indicates, a miraculous true story of 33 men trapped 2,300 feet below in the bowels of a copper and gold mine in a remote area in Chile. With over time, working in brutal conditions, a good month could net $2,000 of pay, and thus the men put life and limb in danger every second, hour and day.

Known for the many earthquakes and the terrible track record of poor safety in this mine, every time they entered, the men knew they were beating incredible odds to see the light of day.

Though in the case of this disaster, there never was a survival for that period of time under these extreme conditions.

This is a true testimony of the will of survival and a joyous celebration of all those who worked so very hard, despite the incredible odds, to develop a rescue operation.

Barely surviving for 17 dark days, with only one day food supply left, the miners had little hope of discovery. When they were discovered, even the brave people above who were trying to help, were unsure how to rely to the miners that they may be trapped for four more months.

Many miracles occurred in order to get the men to the top, and even then after 69 long days in a small confined space, the men listened as yet another earthquake shook the mountain until the rocks thundered and cried.

Praying the escape route would not be blocked, the men knew ever fiber of their being was tested.

Kissing the ground, crying and thanking God, after 69 days, 33 men were rescued by slowly being wrenched up through a drilled hole wide enough to contain a small, tiny capsule called "the Phoenix."

Highly Recommended!!!

[tymfos · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a marvelous account of the 2010 Chilean San Jose mine rescue by one of the few journalists given "inside" access at the rescue scene. I read it in a day, as it was extremely difficult to put down. Franklin writes a compelling narrative, without sensationalizing the disaster. He provides information about aspects of the rescue not generally known, including the complexity of dealing with the trapped miners' health, both physical and mental. He comments thoughtfully on the media circus that gathered around the rescue site and the rescued miners. He also shows the role that politics played in how images of the rescue operation were controlled by the Chilean government, while giving credit for good decisions made by officials.

But the real focus is on the 33 men -- "Los 33" -- who were trapped 2,300 feet below the surface, and on the many rescuers who dedicated themselves to freeing the miners from their imprisonment deep in the mountain. I believe Franklin shows true respect for the miners. He acknowledges that there were some problems and divisions among the miners -- to be expected when 33 men are confined under extreme stress-- but doesn't point fingers or blame at individuals. When he names individual miners in the account, it is usually for praiseworthy actions.

Note: the book has no footnotes, but I would not expect any as it is based almost exclusively on the author's eyewitness experience at the rescue site and numerous interviews with the people involved.

I'm giving this book 4 stars. The rating probably would have been even higher, but in the book's Epilogue, "The Triumph of Hope," I felt that Franklin fell into spouting some of the very same "feel good" cliches and over-simplifications that he seemed to criticize the Chilean government for promoting, and glossed over some of the very difficulties that he'd spent a whole book documenting.

[dgmlrhodes · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting account showing the full story of the Chilean miners. This story shows not only what was covered by the media...but what was not. This was a well written accounting of the story as well as the human side of the story, the aftermath and the impact on the families.

[sandyreader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Because the author is an American who lives in Chili, he focused on things that would be of interest to the American reader.
He tells the reader what was going on above and below the ground daily. We find out so many things about the miners lives below
ground - how they got organized, what they did with their time, how food was divided, how they knew help was coming, etc. We
also find out what was going on above ground and how decisions were made. Much of the books tells of things we did not know.
There were many surprises along the way. It held my interest and I gave it one of my few five stars ratings.

[iandssmom · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was absolutely obsessed with this when it was shown on tv. This book was wonderful. It was very respectful and not at all sensational. It told the facts and gave behind the scenes things that weren't known. It was very interesting and gave you a real feel for what those men went through without totally invading their privacy.

[zebraannie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great coverage of lives & rescue of trapped miners.