"Soul Full of Coal Dust": Chris Hamby's Tale Of Miners' Fight With Black Lung, Big Coal

Now, a conversation with New York Times investigative reporter Chris Hamby about his new book, Soul Full of Coal Dust: A Fight for Breath and Justice in Appalachia, just pubished by Hachette Books (Little Brown). The book builds on Hamby's 2014 Pulitzer Prize-winning series of reports about how a resilient Appalachian mining community fought back against a resurgence of black lung disease, the indifference of coal industry executives, and the complicity of doctors at Baltmore's prestigious Johns Hopkins hospital.In 2017, Hamby was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in international reporting for his accounts of how multinational corporations use aggressive legal tactics to pressure governments around the world. He has reported on a wide variety of subjects, including labor, public health, the environment, criminal justice, politics and international trade. His work has also been honored with Harvard University's Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting, two White House Correspondent's Association awards and UCLA's Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism, among other honors.Before joining The New York Times in 2019, Hamby was an investigative reporter for BuzzFeed News, and he previously worked for The Center for Public Integrity. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond and master’s from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. A native of Nashville, Tenn., he lives and works in Washington, D.C.Chris Hamby joins us today on Zoom.Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.