Description
Asbestos
Book Summary
A work that reconstructs the professional and legal history of an Italian laborer, from his post-war childhood to his death from asbestos exposure. Through the eyes of his son, the book explores the link between industrial labor, illness, and the struggle for justice. It is a tale of working-class memory, dignity, and the human cost of progress.
What is it about?
Renato begins working at the age of fourteen at the Ilva steel mill in Follonica, an industrial environment where he breathes in zinc, lead, and, eventually, an asbestos fiber that lodges in his chest. Thirty years later, his son Alberto reconstructs his father's story: from his work in the factory to the long legal process to have asbestos recognized as the cause of his death. The narrative moves between personal memory and collective testimony, showing working conditions in Italian heavy industry and a family’s fight for truth and reparations.
Main themes
- Occupational exposure to asbestos and its deadly consequences
- Working-class memory and the transmission of family legacy
- The legal struggle for the recognition of occupational diseases
- Deindustrialization and its social impact on working-class communities
- The father-son relationship through silence and absence
Who is it recommended for?
For readers interested in testimonial narrative and novelized non-fiction, especially those seeking stories about the working class, social justice, and the effects of industrial capitalism. Also for those who value works that combine personal memoir with social critique, in the style of authors like Annie Ernaux or Svetlana Alexievich.
What this book offers
- A deep understanding of the human consequences of asbestos exposure
- A testament to the fight for labor justice and the recognition of occupational diseases
- An intimate look at the relationship between a working-class father and his writer son
- A portrait of industrial Italy and the transformation of its communities
- A reflection on memory, loss, and the need to tell silenced stories
Technical specifications
- Author: Prunetti, Alberto
- Publisher: Hoja de Lata Editorial
- Language: Spanish
- Subject: MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY FICTION
- Collection: SENSIBLES A LAS LETRAS
- Binding: Paperback
- Publication date: March 2020
- Number of pages: 192
- Weight: 354 g
Editorial review
A necessary book that transcends the personal narrative to become a document on labor exploitation and its consequences. Prunetti's prose manages to balance restrained emotion with the precision of testimony, offering a reading that challenges the reader regarding the human price of industrial progress. Recommended for those looking for committed, highly symbolic narrative.