Throughout the novel, Mamaw and Dawn protest a highly destructive mining practice known as strip mining, or mountaintop removal mining, taking place on the mountain where Mamaw grew up. Strip mining is a particularly destructive form of mining because it completely clears the surface area of a mining site, including all trees and plant life. It can also involve the use of explosives to remove large portions of a mountain.

The work that Mamaw and Dawn are doing feels futile sometimes. Dawn attends meeting after meeting where little gets accomplished. Mamaw confesses she dislikes the meetings because nothing ever gets accomplished. It’s an effort weighed down with bureaucratic red tape and regulations. Even the meeting with the state representative is just a formality so the government can provide evidence that they listened to the residents impacted by the mining. Later, the activists only earn the governor’s support because it’s an election year, and he feels pressure from voters.

While being involved in activism helps Dawn to see her ability to influence people, Mamaw and Dawn’s anti-coal activism is more than just the action that propels the novel forward, it also illuminates the tension in the Appalachian South between mining supporters and protesters.