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. ( )

I received a copy of this book through the Goodreads Giveaway program in exchange for an honest review.

Soul Full of Coal Dust is a very detailed work of non-fiction that details the history of coal mining in Appalachia as well as the deception perpetuated by coal companies and their legal teams that led to rampant black lung disease among seasoned miners and a lack of access to benefits claims. I found the book a bit dry and highly technical in places, although Hamby was able to maintain my attention for the most part and wrote an illuminating piece about a subject I knew nothing of, and I'm sure has brought far more awareness to the ongoing issues. ( )