Dying Hard is a series of first-hand accounts by miners suffering from industrial diseases contracted while working in the fluorspar mines of St. Lawrence, Newfoundland. It tells the stories of men waiting for death to relieve them from the continuing agony of cancer and silicosis; and of the women who coped with the burden of raising children while their husbands' health deteriorated. Their stories are heart-wrenching, poignant and powerful. Through their voices Leyton makes the point: The miners of St. Lawrence died because of corporate negligence, and their suffering was exacerbated by a government compensation system that was callous, arbitrary and unfair. The fluorspar mines of St. Lawrence are now closed, but miners in other communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador as well as in Canada and around the world continue to suffer and die from industrial diseases. Originally published in the mid-1970s under another title, this 2004 edition includes photographs, a map, and an update by Leyton.

Elliott Leyton is one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s most distinguished authors and scholars. His books include The Myth of Delinquency, Hunting Humans, Men of Blood and Touched by Fire. He is professor emeritus at Memorial University Newfoundland, and holds research and faculty appointments in Ireland and England.

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