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22 Buggies
Paperback
Biographies GeneralAnthropologyRegional: West
Publisher: Robert Mulford
Published: Jan 5 2026
Pages: 638
Weight: 2.40
Height: 1.28 Width: 7.00 Depth: 10.00
Language: English
22 Buggies is a powerful blend of memoir and historical fiction, a harrowing yet darkly humorous journey into an American coal mine. In these depths, a long widely-accepted deadly fiction defines the earth and human labor as commodities; creating a culture of operation where workers are compelled to make decisions that are against their and their family's better interests, and bronze monuments to dead heroes are no compensation.
When electronics engineer Rob Mulford abandoned his comfortable Philadelphia life to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a coal miner in 1979 Colorado, he entered a world where production first, safety last was a deadly reality. Moving his young family to remote Redstone, Mulford discovered that beneath the romanticized vision of honest labor lay an industrial system where human lives were expendable.
This visceral memoir follows Mulford through the treacherous underground passages of Mancos Sea Mining Company, where methane gas lurks in every tunnel and operational pressures compel workers to choose against their own survival. From his first day shoveling coal to witnessing devastating safety violations, Mulford's journey becomes powerful testimony of industrial contradictions. Six months after he left, the Dutch Creek Mine explosion claimed fifteen of his fellow workers on April 15, 1981.
Written as a love song to all fellow workers, this memoir exposes the systemic contradictions that define earth and labor as commodities while honoring the courage of America's working class. Through vivid storytelling and authentic detail, 22 Buggies reveals the human cost of American industry from someone who lived it underground.
Perfect for readers of Matthew Desmond's Evicted, Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed, and fans of authentic working-class memoirs. Essential reading for understanding the true cost of American energy independence.
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