KABOOM! is the story of Cyndie and Ashley, two spirited and spunky teenage girls living in the heart of coal country West Virginia, who discover that their beloved mountain is to be blown sky high by the coal company. Big coal picked the wrong two girls to mess with! While taking on the coal company with help from their high school group KABOOM (Kids Against Blowing Off Our Mountaintops), they are both falling in love for the first time. This YA romantic comedy—a coming of age and a coming to activism novel—is a rollicky romp through high school love, Civil War reenactment and mountaintop removal. Who knew that environmental activism could be so fun!
KABOOM! has won numerous awards including the 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Award Gold Medal winner for Young New Adult, a 2016 Literary Classics Book Award Gold Medal winner for Environmental Issues, a 2017 Independent Publisher Book Award Bronze Medal for Mid-Atlantic Best Regional Fiction, long listed for a 2017 Green Earth Book Award for Young Adult Fiction, a 2016 Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Runner Up and labeled one of the six best YA books of summer 2016 by Forward Reviews.
REVIEWS!
“Most YAs are sassy and irreverent in tone, and often funny. This one is too, except it’s funnier.”
—Mary Wildfire, OVEC Activist
“With ”KABOOM!” (the exclamation mark is part of the title!), American cli-fi humorist Brian Adams has once again struck comic gold. As he did with his first cli-fi romcom “Love in the Time of Climate Change,” Adams once again touches the funny bone of YA cli-fi and comes up with a novel that proves the first book was no fluke. “KABOOM!” takes his climate-fueled humor to a new level, and it’s sure to reach Millennials nationwide with his insight and jokes. Global warming isn’t all government statistics and boring Power Point charts; it’s also something that humorists can mine for all it’s worth. Adams has done it again!”
— Dan Bloom, editor, The Cli-Fi Report cli-fi.net
“There is a smile on almost every page and a chuckle or two in every chapter. Author Brian Adams uses humor and no holds barred detail to tell us about a year in the lives of Cyndie and Ashley, two mid-teen best buddies. Pre-occupation with issues of changing bodies and emerging sexuality becomes intertwined with a strong sense of place and a protective love of their mountain. This book reminds us that kids can make a difference. If there was a KABOOM in West Virginia I would proudly wear their tee shirt. This is a funny, fully detailed story. All ages will enjoy it.”
—Wayne C. Spiggle, M.D., Allegheny Highlands Alliance
“This book totally immersed me in a world of teenagers that I sincerely wish existed “for real”. I wish we could clone the main character (Cyndie) and put at least one of her in every high school throughout Central Appalachia. Of course, she’d need her friends along to accomplish what she and they did in other places. That’s what it takes to save the places we love – a community coming together with local leaders who aren’t afraid to stand up for what’s right, no matter what. Warning teens: some of your parents and teachers may find this book offensive, for sexual content and for lots and lots of other reasons. Read it anyway!”
—Robin Blakeman, Ohio Valley Environmental Alliance
“Mountains go KABOOM! when they are exploded, but there is another type of KABOOM! which can help them remain intact. Brian Adams…explains it all for you in the hopeful message of this book.”
—Frank E. Grant, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition
“Many thanks to Brian Adams for taking on the complex topic of activism against mountaintop removal and exploring it through thoughtful comedy. KABOOM! tells a story of coming of age and coming into awareness about the economic and environmental realities that many of our Appalachian Communities face. How do we stand up to protect our land, our water, our mountains, without “biting the hand” that feeds us? Educating ourselves and engaging with our communities is what we do and KABOOM! takes a look at some of the highs and lows along that path. This story explores what it means to learn about our world, take a stand and stand firm in your convictions and beliefs even when that puts us in direct conflict with our communities and families. In the end, KABOOM! reminds us that our actions have a profound impact on our world.”
Elise Keaton – Keepers of the Mountain Foundation
“In fifteen-year-old Cyndie’s Appalachian hometown of Greenfield, West Virginia, coal companies carry a lot of clout. When she and her best friend, Ashley, learn that mountaintop removal is planned for their beloved hangout, Mount Tom, they decide they have to do something about it. After all, they can’t bear to lose the one place in nature where they “get a good heavy dose of old-time religion”—and gossip about boys. With the help of their science teacher, Mr. Cooper, they form a new club, Kids against Blowing off Our Mountaintops (KABOOM), and get started with petitions, letter-writing, and planning a march. “I was no longer Cyndie the Invisible. I was Cyndie the Activist,” the engaging narrator marvels.
KABOOM! is retired environmental science professor Brian Adams’s second work of romantic-comic climate fiction, after Love in the Time of Climate Change (2014). The author enlists Rosa Parks, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. as historical examples of civil disobedience, and situates Cyndie and Ashley within an unexpectedly large community of fictional environmentalists—not least Cyndie’s late mother, who protested strip-mining back in the 1980s. The girls’ unlikely partners in the fight against MTR include an evangelical youth group and a quirky band of Civil War reenactors. But as Auntie Sadie, a font of folk wisdom, is fond of repeating, “Life is like a Ferris wheel.” KABOOM faces setbacks along the way, but the overall message is one of empowerment for young people. “If I can do it, then anyone can!” Cyndie insists. Adams’s surprisingly solid grasp of a teenage girl’s shifting emotions and slang vocabulary is one of the highlights of this funny and socially engaged novel.”
Michelle Schingler – Foreword Reviews
“KABOOM is an acronym for Kids against Blowing off Our Mountaintops. The book’s title gives a glimpse into the author’s delicious sense of humor. Two high school girls learn that their beloved mountain is scheduled to be blown up. The coal company wants to blast the top off their mountain for easy access to the coal below. The girls work to motivate their entire school and community to save the mountain while meeting with resistance from the locals whose very livelihood depends on the mining of coal.
Cyndie and Ashley are at the crossroads of womanhood and are just beginning to discover romance. Kevin, a school “hottie” and his best friend Marc (the school mascot) introduce the girls to the drama of young love. Every character is so well developed. Dad is heavily into Civil War reenactments (boring!). A beloved aunt is a little obsessed with Cheetos. An incident at one of the Civil War reenactments leads to an appreciation (even enjoyment) of the activities. Hilarious antics are at the cornerstone of this highly engaging read with an overall message of stewardship and empowerment.
KABOOM is a delight to read. Teens are sure to love this book. Love, excitement, adventure, it’s all here. The humor is delightful. The book teaches environmental awareness in a non-preachy and entirely entertaining way. Educational and a great read, KABOOM is highly recommended and has earned the Literary Classics Seal of Approval.”
Literary Classics
AVAILABLE NOW
KABOOM! I encourage you to shop local and support your local independent book store. If they don’t have it, order it. Keeping our book stores healthy and our dollars local is the way to go!
Links for Purchase:
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kaboom-brian-adams/1122827160?ean=9780996267663
IndieBound Books: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780996267663
5.25 x 8.00; Paperback Original; 316 pages; $16.95
ISBN: 978-09962676-6-3 (pbk)
Available wherever books are sold.
Author available for readings throughout New England and Appalachia! Contact: brianadamsauthor@gmail.com
Distributed by Midpoint Trade Books, Ingram’s, Baker & Taylor.
Green Writers Press is a Vermont-based, global publisher whose mission is to spread a message of hope and renewal. Read more at http://www.greenwriterspress.com.
Brian Adams 