KABOOM
Page 30
And Kevin, now Captain Kevin, and me?
Quadruple wow!
For my sixteenth birthday, he took me out to dinner in a really fancy restaurant. He told me that, next fall when he graduates, he wants to go to West Virginia University in Morgantown because it’s not that far from me. He told me that he doesn’t ever want to be far from me. He told me that if it was 1863, at the height of the Civil War, he’d desert the army and take me with him out to the West and we’d get a farm and we’d raise goats and we’d grow peaches and bananas.
“You can’t grow bananas out West, you idiot!” I told him, squeezing his thigh under the table.
“You could!” Kevin said. “You can do anything.”
I blushed.
“You could!” Kevin repeated. “After what you’ve done with Mount Tom, growing bananas out West would be a piece of cake.”
“I’ve got an idea,” I said. “Why don’t we just stay here and save mountains instead?”
“Deal!” Kevin said, taking my face in his hands and kissing me.
Acknowledgments
MANY THANKS to all of those wonderful people who gave me such valuable feedback during the writing of this novel. Thanks to Julia Sullivan and to my teen readers Gretchen Saveson, Mairead Blatner and Lucy Norton who were invaluable in helping me refine the teen voices. They also pointed out how totally “pathetic” and “pointless” certain sections of the draft were, which considerably helped me (I hope!) in crafting a better book. Thanks to Taylor Adams (my son) and Casey Adams (my daughter) for their edits and their kind words of support and encouragement. They are the two best children this dad could ever hope to have. Thanks to all of the unnamed Civil War reenactors who shared their stories and experiences with me. Battle on, people, battle on. Thanks to the Hatfield Historical Society and particularly Kathie Gow for opening up their collection and letting me actually touch a real hoop skirt. Thanks to Elise Keaton for her insights into West Virginia activism and her fabulous work in Keepers of the Mountain. Thanks to my Green Writers Press intern, Kaitlyn Plukas from Bennington College, for her outstanding editorial insights and her untiring marketing and promotional efforts. Thanks to my editor Mike Fleming who is the BEST and reminded me that I could greatly broaden the appeal of the book by refraining from pissing off and offending practically everyone in the universe and that I could do so without compromising the integrity of the novel. May his three legged dog stay fat and happy. Thanks to my fabulous publisher Dede Cummings and her vision of the Green Writers Press, which incorporates and facilitates the gift of words to help foster a sustainable environment. Thanks to my wonderful wife Morey Phippen who somehow has managed to stay married to me for thirty-four years without completely losing her mind, who is my number one cheerleader, and whom I love so much. Most of all thanks to all of the amazing, dedicated, tireless activists in Appalachia and elsewhere who are drawing attention to the tragedy of mountaintop removal and the devastating impact it has on local communities and the environment. The time to stop mountaintop removal is NOW!
KABOOM!
Reader’s Guide
SPOILER ALERT:
Do NOT read this until AFTER you read the book*
*I know after reading this, you will want to read all of these questions, but for goodness sake, DON’T!
1. How does Cyndie’s character change throughout the book? Does she change for the better or for the worse? Why? Use examples from the text to support your answer.
2. Why does American Coal Company want to blow the top off of Mount Tom? Why do Cyndie and Ashley think this is bad? Use examples from the text and your own outside research to support your answer.
3. Why does Mr. Cooper get so angry at people who ignore climate change? Is his anger justified? Why or Why not?
4. Does Cyndie’s family influence her decisions around activism? Why do Cyndie’s dad and Aunt Sadie decide to not tell her about her mom’s activism? If you were a parent, would you have told Cyndie? Why or Why not?
5. Compare and contrast Cyndie and Ashley. How do they approach their respective relationships with Kevin and Marc? Do these relationships change throughout the book?
6. Why is Cyndie upset at Kevin after the meeting at the church? Is her reaction justified? Why or Why not? What’s more important: one’s intentions or one’s actions?
7. Is activism important? Why or Why not? How do people become active in environmental and social issues? What are some important qualities in an activist? Do Cyndie and Ashley have those qualities? Is Cyndie and Ashley’s conversion to activism realistic?
8. Cyndie and Ashley’s first act of activism (cutting down the flags marking the trees) is technically illegal. Are illegal activities such as this one and Cyndie’s actions at the end of the novel (chaining herself to the logging truck) justified? Consider the “necessity defense” popularized by MLK and other examples from history in your response.
9. How do you define courage? Can Marc’s actions, specifically when he renounces his coveted job as mascot, be considered courageous? Who else in KABOOM! would you consider to be courageous and why?
10. What is one environmental issue that affects your community? Name at least two different ways you can work to make the situation better. Are your strategies plausible? Why or Why not?