Authors Marsha Sutherland Self and Rebecca Riner White document personal accounts of coal mining families and how their lives changed on June 21, 1983.

On June 21, 1983, a devastating explosion rocked the two-left section of McClure #1 Mine in Virginia, one mile into the earth. 10 miners were working on that section. Seven would not make it out alive. One of the survivors recalls, "I heard a roaring noise and saw a ball of fire coming toward me, followed by wind and smoke. And then - darkness."

The disaster was a stark reminder of the dangers of mining. This book is a harrowing account that reveals, at its core, miners are a brave, resilient brotherhood with love for their job and coal in their veins, making their blood run black.