In a devastating and urgent work of investigative journalism, Pulitzer Prize-winner, Chris Hamby, uncovers the tragic resurgence of black lung disease in Appalachia, its Big Coal cover-up, and the resilient mining communities who refuse to back down.
Decades have passed since black lung disease was recognized as a national disgrace and Congress was pushed to take legislative action. Since then, however, not much has changed. Big coal companies-along with their allies in the legal and medical professions-have continually flouted the law and exposed miners to deadly amounts of coal dust, while also systematically denying benefits to miners who suffer and die because of their jobs. Indeed, these men and their families, with little access to education, legal resources, and other employment options, have long been fighting to wrench even modest compensation and medical costs from our nation's biggest mining interests-all to combat a disease that could have been eradicated years ago.
Tracing their heroic stories back to the very beginning, Chris Hamby, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on this issue, gives us a deeply troubling yet ultimately triumphant work that promises to do for Black Lung what Beth Macy did for the opioid epidemic. From corporate offices and mine shafts, to hospital beds and rural clinics, Soul Full of Coal Dust becomes a legal and medical thriller that brilliantly traces how a powerless band of laborers-alongside a small group of lawyers and doctors, often working out of their homes or in rural clinics and tiny offices-challenged one of the world's most powerful forces, Big Coal, and won.
Full of the rich and complex atmosphere of Appalachia and packed with tales of those who have toiled in the mines of West Virginia, Soul Full of Coal Dust is a necessary and timely book about injustice and resistance.
6 years in the making. The story of a coal miner & a determined lawyer, & the investigative reporting that exposed the coal industry’s manipulation of black lung benefits claims with the help of soulless lawyers & doctors
It requires patience to really connect with Soul Full of Coal Dust, but its gradual nature is appropriate, given the long, long roads Hamby describes being tread by black lung sufferers in search of justice and compensation. And, if one is willing to trust Hamby, he eventually brings us into the middle of incredible deception and, essentially, fraud, alongside amazing triumphs won through the work of a handful of determined people, including miners, their families, and their representatives.
Hamby has done an impressive job of transforming Pulitzer-winning journalism into a compelling text, hopefully opening the eyes of even more people to the ongoing deception wrought the coal industry, and the small ways it's being defeated.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown, and Company for the ARC.
This was a powerful, often painful, book. It left me moved and hungry for more knowledge about the investigation, companies, doctors, and law firm involved. I know I will be thinking about the miners and their families for a long time. Highly recommend.
A powerful and engaging look at coal miners and their struggles for benefits (even after death). The personal stories and details really moved me. A great and informative read.
So glad I read this before the election cycle this fall. Such a well written and researched book—if you have any interest in the modern struggle of coal miners, read this!
I received a digital galley of “Soul Full of Coal Dust,” in exchange for a fair review. What a joy to be able to read impassioned, investigative journalism that benefits disadvantaged coal miners over unethical coal companies, ethically dubious legal firms that hide expert opinions that are unfavorable to their coal company clients and expert medical witnesses who give opinions that ultimately benefit coal companies over severely ill miners. If there is any justice, this book will become a national best-seller and will be passed around to future labor organizers, community activists and progressive lawmakers.
I read this this with indignation at all the hurdles these miners and their families had to endure from the late 1960’s until 2014, when the US Labor Department implemented the final protective regulation in a string of wins that finally broke the adversarial legal system that coal miners with black lung had to endure before procuring legally entitled benefits— the use of new, harder-to-deceive continuous coal mine air sampling devices and the closure of several regulatory loopholes that overwhelmingly favored coal companies.
Hamby was part of an investigative unit that won the Pulitzer Prize highlighting the gauntlet that miners had to overcome —including Don Massey, the vile, convicted CEO of Massey Energy, the dubious legal ethics of a prominent West Virginia law firm—Jackson Kelly and the disgusting actions of. a Johns Hopkins physician, Paul Wheeler, MD , who systematically ignored x-ray guidance from accredited bodies that would give these radiologists some objectivity in detecting whether miners had features suggestive of coal workers pneumoconiosis. Through the work of dedicated lawyers like John Cline and investigative reporters like Hamby and others, they were able to eventually expose this unholy trinity (coal companies, law firms and physicians), which Hamby thoroughly and skillfully details.
Hamby does a yeoman job of humanizing these miners and the suffering they endured through defeat after defeat until justice finally arrives. I cherished reading this book— not only because my grandfather suffered through Black Lung when as a boy,I watched him expectorate black mucus and had to pause every few feet before having to rest, but who never missed Church and never once complained, and as a physician, who was thoroughly disgusted by the actions of Paul Wheeler, MD whose arrogance and ignominy should follow him to the grave. This book deserves a wide readership and should serve as a reminder that we need a free press, activists and muckrakers, and a strong regulatory framework so that less affluent individuals aren’t trampled by the politically connected and the powerful. Buy this book!!
One of those books that will stay with me for a long time.
Infuriating, informative, and inspiring. This book was particularly interesting to me because, I grew up in Western Maryland, which has a history of mining. Frostburg State University, where I went to school was started around the turn of the 20th century when townspeople raised enough money to buy some land and start with a single building. Many of those townspeople were miner's who didn't make much, but pitched in anything they could so that their children could have options to escape working in the dangers underground.
Miners like Gary Fox worked extremely hard in dusty, tough, and often dangerous environments underground. They took pride in doing a job that allowed to support and build a better life for their families. However they often didn't realize for years the toll the dust was taking on their lungs. Disasters like explosions, fires, and cave ins killed and maimed quickly and got media attention, but black lung is just as crippling and deadly. After legislation passed in the 1960's it was thought that black lung was being eradicated by new measures to lower dust levels. However, as in many cases, companies cheated, and doctors have been seeing an increase in cases instead. And when miners' breathing became so bad that they were unable to work, companies used their powerful legal teams and certain doctors to try to get out of paying any compensation or pay for needed medical care. The strategy for many years was to deny and contain. Claiming that anything but coal dust had caused the suffering miners' disease.
This book focuses on Gary Fox and several other miners and their families, and John Cline. John Cline worked at a clinic that treated miners with breathing issues and helped miners file claims for black lung benefits. John realized that often these miners couldn't find legal representation and went back to school in his fifties to become a lawyer in order to better able to fight for the miners.
This book reminded me of books and movies that looked into the poisoning of workers, the coverup or ignoring of dangers by industry and government, and the underdogs who fought for justice and worker safety for others. Many new that it was too late for themselves, but wanted to protect others in the future from going what they went through. Books such as, An Air That Kills How the Asbestos Poisoning of Libby, Montana Uncovered a National Scandal by Andrew Schneider and David McCumber, The Radium Girls by Kate Moore and also the movie Erin Brockovich.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in coal mining and appalachia, and/or for those with an interest in fights for workers safety and compensation.
This book was all that I was hoping for it to be. I first heard about the book on NPR. Before the interview was over, I had already ordered the book on Amazon. The book encapsulates a multi-decade journey to equal the playing field between sick coal miners and law firms representing large, wealthy coal companies. The book focuses on one attorney, John Cline, an idealistic New Yorker who moves to West VA to help the coal miners who eventually gets his law degree to better serve these people. By the end of the book, the author describes the passage of a groundbreaking rule that required all parties to exchange with each other any medical information developed in connection with a claim for benefits and allows for the imposition of sanctions for failure to comply with the rule. Jon Cline worked most of his life to make this rule happen and with his hard work and dedication the rule was passed. The book reflects so accurately Margaret Meade's famous quote-"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." I learned so much from this book and I recommend it to anyone looking for a feel good story--anyone can change the world!
My interest in coal and Appalachia began with the devouring of Walls’ Glass Castle (Welch, WV) and Morgan’s Gap Creek. I found books on foraging and how locals cooked it in the hollows of Appalachia. Then I watched a documentary on the Battle of Blair Mountain.
Recently, a coworker came from WV, and she truly appreciated my interest and knowledge of McDowell County—- and then of course, Bourdain did a segment of it on CNN—-
Last year, I got shown around by the father of that coworker, and my eyes were opened to the life of people who ran coal (as did he) in WV. I listened to his own story and also his opinion of those who governed the area.
To think how similarly this story that actually began in 1975 parallels the book Bottle of Lies, in that man’s greed can be boundless, and lives discarded—- well, I just don’t know the trajectory humanity can take.
That attorney Smoot representing the corporation was as immoral as he was, that Hopkins’ Paul Wheeler was as arrogant as he was—- that these miners with pneumoconiosis had to suffer inordinately, along with their family members... well, it’s all an ineffable tragedy and travesty of justice.
John Cline demonstrated tenacity and a dedication that I believe few have when against such odds. What motivated him through the gauntlet of lecherous hiding and defrauding was a passion for true justice. He gave miners an arena and a voice, and the hope of exposing this to the world was enabled by author Hamby.
Idk why— the epilogue made me cry. These are lives, many lives!! Who lived with such subpar quality, fighting as long as they did to win their cases— it seemed like Massey and companies like it were stacked, and the effort was downright Sisyphean.
Decry the same formula all the time: poor and less educated aren’t seen as equally important. They get taken advantage of. They suffer, and the other side gets a slap on the hand.
The sentence served in CA In a low security setting was a total joke!
Just started this and already am hooked. My grandfather passed at age 70 from complications to his lungs from working in coal mines for years. I recall my grandmother talking with my mom about the benefits he was receiving for a while due to black lung. It left me interested in learning more but I hadn't investigated more until now. Unfortunately after he passed the benefits he had received which my grandmother should have still received based on the agreement were severed when they found out my grandfather had taken up smoking late in life. While smoking didn't help, he already had the disease of black lung and had been diagnosed before he started smoking. I remember the pain it caused my family because my grandmother needed the financial help still and it was hard to get any reimbursement from his death because of everything. Black lung is real, painful and there are still issues with miners and former miners to this day. If the work they do is so important to them why do we not fully care for them? Why do other professions that are more "classy" or appropriate to our society get better medical treatment? Questions i have always had and hoping to find out more as I finish this book.
This book is such an interesting read! The author provides plenty of historical information about the profession of coal mining in W Virginia as well as the people. This makes it easier to understand the struggle that Gary Fox and John Cline endure as they work to fight the coal industry for protections to prevent black lung disease as well as adequate care for those who are sick. The author did a great job acquiring perspectives from various people in Appalachia which contribute to the robust storyline that draws the reader into this community, caring about an issue that many in America aren't impacted by.
As someone with family members in Appalachia, I'm thankful for this author's time and research on the topic. His portrayal of the residents as hard working and forgotten was touching and really hit home for me.
So I knew coal miners got the short end of the stick when it comes to, well, just about everything but especially in regards to getting black lung benefits. I did not know it was this hard or far reaching. There is a lot in this book, but it's written in an accessible form to help readers understand the unnecessarily complicated process that is applying for black lung benefits and the decades long struggle miners and advocates fought. A few parts moved me to tears as Hamby recounted the minder's stories and the knowledge that my papaw narrowly avoided the same fate. Others made me blindingly angry at the government and the Jackson Kelly law firm to making things so much harder than it ever had to be.
I'm glad I read this because I hadn't known much about the coal industry. Soul Full of Coal Dust tells readers about thousands of denied benefit claims for coal miners who suffered from black lung disease. A huge coverup by Big Coal, Chris Hamby reports how the Jackson Kelly law firm fought for big goal companies to stop laborers from rightfully receiving healthcare benefits.
A story close to my heart. Thank goodness for John Cline and Chris Hamby for shedding light on the oppression of a proud people. As a coal miner's daughter I am grateful.
Exceptional journalism that sheds a light on the struggles of Appalachian coal miners in a way that's engaging and evocative. Hamby has done an excellent job setting out the stories of miners like Gary Fox and highlighting why their cause is so important. Reading this broke my heart. I didn't know a great deal about America's relationship with coal but this told me everything I need to know.
It's comprehensive, interesting and I enjoyed reading every page even though it physically hurt to read some of the stories. John Cline's fight for justice alongside the miners was gripping and I honestly couldn't put it down. From day one, he was their champion and still is to this day. I couldn't believe what the coal industry managed to get away with and how they're still trying to avoid paying out miners' claims today.
I cried multiple times throughout this book and that's a testament to Hamby's emotive writing. It's a book designed to grab you on an emotional level rather than just set out the facts and at times it was a heartbreaking read. Hamby has a special talent: he makes you feel like you're a part of the fight for justice.
A truly brilliant book that should be required reading by everyone involved in the coal industry.
Hanby, as part of a investigative journalistic team, won a Pulitzer Prize for their close look at how a group of radiologists from Johns Hopkins, through their work for lawyers representing coal companies, managed to skew decisions in black lung benefits cases towards employers for years. Hanby now takes that investigation and expands it into a close look at the whole black lung benefits system - the work the miners do, the ensuing damage to their lungs, the history of the legislation crafted to make mines safer and to recompense miners who become ill, and how the coal companies have fought over the years to maintain coal production and avoid paying for their medical consequences of their drive for profits. The story is readable and fascinating because Hanby focuses on the miners’ stories, their families, and on the lawyers (particularly one lawyer) willing to take their cases. This is a world I know well because my legal career since 1991 has always involved black lung benefits claims at some level and Hanby gets it all right.
4.5 stars. A really solid book of investigative reporting. It was pretty long, but I raced through it a lot faster than I expected. It was amazing and infuriating, though unfortunately not surprising, to see the lengths coal companies and their law firms have gone over the past 50 years to avoid taking responsibility for the inherent dangers of their work environment and compensating their seriously ill workers. This is a great example, for those who have lost faith, of how government regulations can actually be made to work (with the help of private citizens, orgs, and journalism). Unfortunately many people had to die along the way without compensation for their families to reach this point. My only major complaint is that some of the sections in this book felt repetitive, like I’d already read this section before.
This is an important story that pairs extremely well in our current world of workers trying to push for regulations that keep them safe. This book does a great job of painting the long and very difficult fight for worker's rights in a country that so often values the corporation over the worker. Telling the story of coal workers in West Virginia a state that has placed such a large role in the labor movement to the eroding of those rights in favor of coal companies is a reminder that fighting for protection and compensation does not end with a single ruling, but is a fight that needs to be consistently pushed.
LOVED this..... Given I am from Kentucky it was so wonderful to hear true writing regarding and story telling (a true story) about what has been going on and happening in coal mining towns! I truly enjoyed reading this and from an UNBIASED reporting not a company that would stand to gain from coal mining or strip mining~ "Black Lung" has devested many families and taken family members for generation after generation! These poor parts of America the working men trying to put food on the table....they have very few choices. I was once told it it chancing being shot from making moon shine to sell...or coal mining~ So very SAD~ I highly recommend this book! I give this 5 STARS~
Growing up in southeastern Ohio, I actually knew men who worked underground in the coal mines. It was dirty, hard, brutal work for companies that had little respect for the people employed. Money was king. Black Lung was a hideous disease, and the companies wanted nothing to do with compensating workers who had developed it.
This is one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read. I am probably biased because I am an Ohio attorney who represents injured workers, so I understand 95% of the intricacies of these systems. But the stories of the individual coal miners and their families; the doctors; and the advocates, elevates the stories above a sterile accounting of events. I cried at least 3 times reading this book. I wish every state system for workers had a Cline and a Hamby. We would be a lot better off as a country if we did.
A familiar, infuriating investigation of the resurgence of black lung disease in Appalachia coal country, a result of greedy capitalist exploitation at its worst with mining companies putting profits over workers' health and safety.
This book is incredible. It pulls you into a world of lawyers and courtrooms and follows the various legal battles of several lawyers who represent coal miners in black lung claims against their employers. Chris Hamby's writing is engaging and his narrative is easy to follow. There are quite a few names but not more then a person can handle. I found the book equal parts infuriating and inspiring. Infuriating because of the unethical, immoral legal tactics taken by coal company legal teams and none of them ever seem to be willing to concede they were wrong, only that it was legal (eye roll). Inspiring because of the persistence in fighting to make changes to the laws to help protect miners and the legal process from fraud and miscarriage of justice. Highly recommend this one! I did not expect to get so involved in the story.