Underworld.....

Pulled down to the depths of the earth... Feeling a little claustrophobic... surrounded by a white that outshines the dark... and really hungry for a salt-and-vinegar potato chip... These are all feelings I experienced while reading the feature of the week, Underworld, by Jeanne Marie Laskas. This article is an excellent example of how we can use words so descriptive that the reader is actually pulled into the story and senses are engaged. An excellent writer can create emotion, inspire feelings and ignite interest. Laskas inspires us to explore an "underworld" not only from her perspective as a hands-on observer but also from the standpoint of the men who work in the belly of the earth.

I think Laskas pulls me in from the very first paragraph, when she writes in a way that is refreshingly real and blunt. We know from the first page this article is not going to sugar coat anything but will actually tell the story the way it is. She is honest and uses almost child-like description to paint a picture in our head. I still laugh a little as I picture the character nicknamed, "Foot" exclaiming, " You gotta stop shining your frickin' light in my eye, What did I tell you about that?" She doesn't embellish but speaks the truth so bluntly it's refreshing.

She spices up the feature with little bits facts and pieces of history, all the while sticking to a descriptive manner of writing that lets the characters tell their stories. The feature is longer than most of the others we have read but I found it so engaging I didn't want it to end. The feature is a prime example of how to effectively write in a descriptive manner. Now please pass a salt-and-vinegar potato chip, let's read this story again!