Graphic memoirs are one of my favorite ways to explore true stories. Between the text and the images, so much can be communicated on a single page. This year, a fabulous new graphic memoir, Holler, hit bookshelves, providing readers with an inside look at the activism around fighting against the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

Holler: A Graphic Memoir of Rural Resistance by Denali Sai Nalamalapu Denali Sai Nalamalapu, a climate activist, wanted to bring the story of the Mountain Valley Pipeline to a new audience. More than that, they wanted to make their audience feel the impact of the devastation the pipeline has caused. What better way to do that than to tell the story of the activists and changemakers who fought against the pipeline’s construction for years?

The Mountain Valley Pipeline spans roughly 300 miles from northwestern West Virginia to southern Virginia. It ran through people’s farms, forests, and more, destroying the landscape and wildlife habitats. To tell the story of the resistance to the pipeline’s construction, Nalamalapu sat on the porch with her subjects for hours, soaking in their stories and transforming them into short chapters, reducing them down to their essence. Nalamalapu illustrates the stories of six individuals whose small acts of resistance made a lasting impact.

Every chapter is simply illustrated and features short snippets of each activist telling their own story. In one chapter, a woman named Becky Crabtree chains herself to her Ford Bronco as she protests the pipeline being constructed through her family’s farm. In another, we meet Desirée Shelley, a Monacan woman who’s working as a seedkeeper and educator, focusing on preserving her community’s future. 

Before reading Holler, I wasn’t overly familiar with the Mountain Valley Pipeline or its history. But Nalamalapu had readers like me in mind when they wrote and illustrated their book. They include a helpful timeline of the events around the pipeline, helping readers follow along. And by highlighting the everyday people who fought against its construction, Nalamalapu highlights the importance of every act of resistance, no matter how small. Together, we can all make a difference in fighting for a better world.

You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.