Potosí

Great book showing the misery of Bolivian people living from and around mining. The author vividly draws the context of how a country, incredibly rich in natural resources, suffers from that richness. History of Bolivia is basically history of different entities exploiting its people. First the Spanish, then the American and finally the local ‘oligarchs' for a lack of better term. This all gets into the personal context of the tragedy of miners who die extremely young and live in conditions of unsure future. Life without basic protection from the state or employers. Life in existential stress, which in turn make those miners abuse the people around them. It's a really sad testament to human exploitation in the name of riches for few. The author in the epilogue gives a spark of hope, showing that there are people who keep fighting and trying to change this state, although that spark is pale in comparison to all the gloom.