Missing toes, internal hemorrhaging, black lung, eating flour and sugar for dinner: the life of West Virginian miners. This sounds straight out of Steinbeck, and like Steinbeck Helen Borten explores the economic problems of rural labor , the political power of the bullying coal industry. Unlike Steinbeck , Borten's piece is not nearly as aggressive in its social criticism. Rather, her investigative reporting is so thorough and her interviewees so compelling, that the listener is sufficiently equipped to draw his /her own conclusions.

When would you broadcast a piece that explores the darker side of American industry, the realities of the working poor? Well, that's the beauty of an election year because just about anything that's political is relevant. This would also work nicely if you paired it with another piece from Borten's series to make a one-hour show. Another option for broadcast is Labor Day but why wait it's six months when this resonates today?