SOUL FULL OF COAL DUST A Fight for Breath and Justice in Appalachia

Gary Tiedemann narrates in a flat, deliberate manner that honors the seriousness of this topic: the decades-long battle to secure benefits for those afflicted with black lung disease. The fraught journey to get fair treatment for coal miners focuses on several cases in West Virginia. Tiedemann's uninflected narration draws out the long, frustrating legal maneuvers. There are heroes and villains aplenty. Author Hamby uncovers the maddening history as lawyer John Cline, who did not begin his practice until his mid-50s, fights tirelessly against the coal companies and their unscrupulous counsel, succeeding in the end. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2020]