The amazing story of the trapped Chilean miners and their incredible rescue that Publishers Weekly calls “a riveting, in-depth recounting of the events that held the world rapt.”
In early August 2010, the unthinkable happened when a mine collapsed in Copiapó, Chile, trapping thirty-three miners 2,000 feet below the surface. For sixty-nine days they lived on meager resources with increasingly poor air quality. When they were finally rescued, the world watched with rapt attention and rejoiced in the amazing spirit and determination of the miners. What could have been a terrible tragedy became an amazing story of survival.
In Trapped, Marc Aronson provides the backstory behind the rescue. By tracing the psychological, physical, and environmental factors surrounding the mission, Aronson highlights the amazing technology and helping hands that made it all possible. From the Argentinean soccer players that hoped to raise morale, to NASA volunteering their expertise to come up with a plan, there was no shortage of enterprising spirit when it came to saving lives. Readers will especially appreciate the eight pages of full-color photos, timeline, glossary, notes, and more.
This is the version that's been adapted for young readers, and tells the story of the 33 miners that were trapped in a Chilean mine for over two months. The story itself is only about 100 pages, so it's a pretty quick read, but it was very informative and interesting. I learned quite a bit about mines, and Aronson did a great job explaining the different equipment brought in to help save the men. It was fascinating to read about what the men did in order to survive, and also what the outside world did to help them. However, I was a bit disappointed in the last chapter, which covered the actual rescue of the men. I would have liked to read more about the individual rescues - did anyone have issues making it aboveground? What about afterwards? Are any of them still working in mines? Unfortunately, the final chapter lacked the details I was looking forward to, but overall, still an interesting read.
