Review by Booklist Review
While the protests at Standing Rock garnered national attention, pipeline resistance efforts seldom gain that level of notoriety. In Nalamalapu's debut comic, readers are introduced to organized resistance against the Mountain Valley Pipeline in the form of interviews with six activists from across Appalachia. These six chapters invite the reader to consider their own positionality, to think about what they could or would do to protect their (literal) home land. Nalamalapu, a climate organizer, grounds the interviews in hope and finding the way each person not only contributes to the fight but keeps themselves going for the long haul. Their illustrations capture the emotion felt by each interviewee so powerfully that at times it feels like you are in the room with them, a fly on the wall, rather than a reader looking back in time at a representation of a conversation. Something activist Karolyn Givens, a childhood cancer survivor, said captures the feeling of the book--and of Appalachian activism--perfectly: "I brought my homemade brownies with me. Because fighting for justice is hard . . . and people have to eat." This will appeal to fans of comics journalism (like Sarah Glidden's Rolling Blackouts, 2016), comics about place (like Kay Sohini's This Beautiful, Ridiculous City, 2025), and histories of Appalachian resistance to fossil fuel extraction (like Erik Reece's Lost Mountain).
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Through vivid renderings of once lush landscapes devastated by industry, and intimate profiles of those who fight to protect their land, climate organizer and cartoonist Nalamalapu's bracing debut centers the thriving spirit of environmental activism. When backers of the Mountain Valley Pipeline proposed a destructive route through Appalachia, Nalamalapu joined what would become a decade-long fight. Here, they dedicate a chapter each to six advocates they met through this work. Photographer Paula Mann walked the pipeline's proposed route, taking pictures of the land that would later inspire the Forest Service to "change their plans" given "what was at stake." Researcher and nurse Karolyn Givens wrote reports for Congress and "took my homemade brownies with me" to court. Science teacher Becky Crabtree, who says "Appalachia is in my blood," chained herself to her Ford Pinto to stop construction; single mom Crystal Mello joined Virginia's famous Yellow Finch tree sit; and "seedkeeper" Desiree Shelley worked to connect herself and her children to their Indigenous homeland. Nalamalapu's accessible portraits of everyday resistance capture the impact of what a single person can do in the face of corporate greed. Fans of eco-comics like Climate Changed will find hope in this energizing call to action. (May)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 10 Up--Climate organizer Nalamalapu uses the graphic novel format to present stories of those resisting the Mountain Valley Pipeline in Appalachia. The author interviewed people across the affected region and tells their stories in an honest, approachable manner, "uplifting the voices of marginalized communities that are impacted by climate injustice." Each activist and their reasons for involvement and motivation to continue the fight are introduced alongside descriptions of their skills and backgrounds, such as an Indigenous seed keeper, the founder of a student climate coalition, a teacher, a nurse, a photographer, and a single mother. The author presents the interviews and the results of the pipeline construction in stark black outlines and a limited color palette. Images capture the scenes of resistance meetings, collateral effects of the construction, such as deforestation and flooding, and activists occupying treetops or chaining themselves to cars in protest. While their efforts have not stopped the pipeline, they continue to educate, make their concerns known, and resist the disruption of their communities. A map of the pipeline's route and a time line of the fight against it are included. VERDICT This book puts a relatable face on climate resistance in Appalachia for YAs.--Suzanne Costner
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
When citizens fought the construction of a pipeline in Appalachia. Growing up in coastal Maine, Nalamalapu felt an intense pull to do good. "My mom and her dad," the author writes, "encouraged me to learn about why injustice happens and how to fix it." This drive led the child of South Asian American immigrants to the climate justice movement, which, in 2021, had them joining the effort to block the construction of a proposed mountain valley gas pipeline in Appalachia. By the time Nalamalapu became a part of the movement, local citizens had spent a decade trying to halt its construction. The author of this graphic memoir profiles six activists whose work preceded her involvement in the movement, including Indigenous seed keeper Desirée Shelley, nurse Karolyn Givens, photographer Paula Mann, single mother Crystal Mello, and high school science teacher Becky Crabtree. Her science class, Crabtree says, "is my quiet resistance to those people who put money above everything." In the end, Nalamalapu and their peers lose the fight, and the sight of the pipeline scarring her beloved mountains puts the author into a depression that leaves them bedridden for weeks. The author writes, "It was impossible to see a path forward. And yet…what choice did I have? To give up on the soft mountain breeze and warm, worn hands of a place and people who have come to define a part of me?" Full of heart, this beautifully illustrated book tells a devastating story. A poignant portrait of an Appalachian environmental movement. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
