The Mine Shaft: A Brief History of Human(Un)Kind (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798994899106)

For the lowest in society, entering the Mine Shaft could be a one-way ticket.

In the Mine Shaft, Arvind Chandrakantan takes us into an apparently utopian society called "Somewhere." But the appearance of equitable treatment of all people is just a façade. Somewhere society is based on a social stratification of classes. The Somebody group is comprised of an inbred faction whose status is based purely on birthright privilege. Then the group known as "Anybody" serves as the working class, who run Somewhere for Somebody. The lowest strata contains those known as "Nobody." They remain largely invisible among the classes.

Somebody enjoy the Mine Shaft, where they experience hypnagogic hallucinations, called "The Dream," as entertainment and escape from their boring life at the top of the society.

When members of the diverse classes intermingle, life in Somewhere is changed forever.

The Mine Shaft explores and exposes the power dynamics between the classes and the invisibility of the poor in our society.