by Denali Sai Nalamalapu
Timber Press
5/13/2025, paperback
SKU: 9781643265230
Drawing from original interviews with the author, Holler is an illustrated look at six inspiring changemakers. Denali Nalamalapu, a climate organizer in their own right, introduces readers to the ordinary people who became resisters of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a project that spans approximately 300 miles from northwestern West Virginia to southern Virginia--a teacher, a single mother, a nurse, an organizer, a photographer, and a seed keeper.
In West Virginia, Becky Crabtree, grandmother of five, chains herself to her 1970s Ford Pinto to stop construction from destroying her farm. Farther south, in Virginia, young organizer Michael James-Deramo organizes mutual aid to support community members showing up to protest the pipeline expansion. These (and more) are the stories of everyday resistance that show what difference we can make when we stand up for what we love, and stand together in community. When the world tells these resisters to sit down and back off, they refuse to give up.
More than anything, Holler is an invitation to readers everywhere searching for their own path to activism: sending the message that no matter how small your action is, it's impactful. The story of the Mountain Valley Pipeline is one we can all relate to, as each and every one of our communities faces the increasing threats of the climate crisis, and the corporations that benefit from the destruction of our natural resources. Holler is a moving and deeply accessible--and beautifully visual--story about change, hope, and humanity.
Reviews:
"Within the simplicity of this format lie so many beautiful complexities--the motives that make someone an activist, the skills that make them good at it, the intersectionality of the issues that motivate this book's protagonists, the politics and peril of pipelines, the nature of campaigns.... Holler is an engrossing introduction to one pipeline struggle and valuable for thinking about many things beyond it." -- Rebecca Solnit, author of No Straight Road Takes You There
"Denali beautifully and plainly presents the truth of activism: that it takes all of us, that we all have something to bring to the movement. I sat down to read it and didn't get up until I was done. Holler is earnest, clear, and moving without every becoming pedantic, and is an important piece of activist art." -- Margaret Killjoy, author of The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion
"In Holler, Denali Sai Nalamalapu introduces us to Appalachians who refuse to accept the destruction of their homes as a simple given. Paula, Karolyn, Becky, Crystal, Michael, and Desiree believe a better world is possible for us all, and use their art, their voices, and their wisdom to fight the forces of extractive capitalism behind the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Through clear prose and stunning visuals, Nalamalapu shows us how we, too, might build something new from the cinders of our burning world." -- Neema Avashia, author of Another Appalachia
About the Author:
Denali Sai Nalamalapu is a climate organizer from Southern Maine and Southern India. Denali lives in Southwest Virginia. They have written for Truthout, Prism, and Mergoat Magazine, and their climate activism has been covered in Shondaland, Vogue India, Self, The Independent, and elsewhere. They studied English Literature at Bates College and completed a Fulbright grant in Malaysia.