Deep Down Dark by Hector Tobar

Someone once told me that, to truly understand human behavior, I need only watch the classic jury movie “Twelve Angry Men.” Now, I tell those same people that all they have to do is read Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine and the Miracle That Set Them Free. Told with exclusive access to the miners who were trapped for 69 days deep underground, UCSC graduate and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Hector Tobar, vividly and brilliantly describes the backgrounds, faith and motivations that allowed these men to survive. It’s no wonder that author Ann Patchett chose it as the inaugural selection of the NPR book club. —Casey