DIG TOO DEEP
By Amy Allgeyer
Publication date: April 1st, 2016
Category: YA
From Goodreads: With her mother facing prison time for a violent political protest, seventeen-year-old Liberty Briscoe has no choice but to leave her Washington, DC, apartment and take a bus to Ebbottsville, Kentucky, to live with her granny. There she can finish high school and put some distance between herself and her mother--her 'former' mother, as she calls her. But Ebbottsville isn't the same as Liberty remembers, and it's not just because the top of Tanner's Peak has been blown away to mine for coal. Half the county is out of work, an awful lot of people in town seem to be sick, and the tap water is bright orange--the same water that officials claim is safe to drink. When Granny's lingering cold turns out to be something much worse, Liberty is convinced the mine is to blame, and starts an investigation that quickly plunges her into a world of secrets, lies, threats, and danger. Liberty isn't deterred by any of it, but as all her searches turn into dead ends, she comes to a difficult decision: turn to violence like her former mother or give up her quest for good.
DIG TOO DEEP was a great look at the current water crises all over this country due to Mountaintop Removal mining. In fact, every time I see a post by Erin Brockovich on Facebook, I'm immediately reminded of DIG TOO DEEP, as not only is this story a reality for many, many people at the moment, but it's also informative as to how the mining culture feels the way they do about speaking against everything. (And how the water contamination can get to be so bad, so fast!)
Another thing I appreciated about DIG TOO DEEP was how the main character, Liberty, stood up for what she believed in, even though it wasn't the safe or easiest decision. Between the writing, the dynamic between a few of the characters (Liberty and her grandmother, especially) and getting a taste of the great Kentucky setting, I found DIG TOO DEEP to be informative, articulate, interesting, and a downright frustrating, wonderful book. I was excited to talk to Amy about DTD, and asked,
What are the difficulties/struggles/or rewards of writing about such a real life, complex topic?
Her response:
This is such a great question because part of what drew me to the issue of Mountaintop Removal mining is that it *is* so very complex.
It’s clear that Mountaintop Removal mining is disastrous for the environment. And it’s become evident that there are very serious health issues associated with living near MTR mines.
But at the same time, the people in these communities depend on the mines for jobs. Often, mining jobs are the highest paying jobs in the area. The money from mining jobs doesn’t just help families of mine workers. It also helps the local businesses where they shop. Mine jobs often pay enough that the families have some disposable income, which creates a market for bookstores and hair salons, home improvement contractors and house cleaners—businesses that otherwise might not even exist in these areas. So mining jobs create other jobs.
But…people are dying in these communities because of the mines. Cancer, gall bladder issues, birth defects and stillbirths. These are lives literally lost because of Mountaintop Removal mines.
The bottom line: MTR mines keep towns alive at the same time they’re killing the residents. It’s a savage sort of irony. And when you add in the coal companies’ drive for profit, the crippling poverty in the area, the deep pockets of coal lobbyists which sway the government from enacting protective measures that might force coal mines to find safer ways to extract coal…it’s a very complex and difficult situation.
I love writing about heavy issues with no clear right and wrong. Putting a character, like Liberty, through the difficult process of choosing where to make her stand creates amazing tension. And I think those moments really resonate with people…especially teens, who grapple with figuring out who they are and what they stand for on a daily basis. The difficulty in writing about complex issues, though, is that there will always be people who disagree with your story—people who think you got it totally wrong. And as a writer, that’s an uncomfortable place to be.
Whew! I'm so glad she loved writing about this, because it's something we ALL need to be more aware of. :(
About Amy:The youngest of seven kids, Amy has been writing stories since she first learned to make her letters face the right way. Her work has appeared in Family Fun, A Fly in Amber and Stories for Children. As an architect, she spends her days restoring hundred-year-old homes in Boise where she lives with her son, a feral house cat, and a fake owl named Alan. She hates chocolate, but loves vegetables. She also loves travelling to foreign lands and the smell of honeysuckle on humid Southern nights.
Amy's Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads
And now, for a giveaway! Amy is giving away a hard copy of DIG TOO DEEP and some swag to one winner (US only)! I highly recommend entering this (or picking up a copy for yourself--it's so pretty) DTD is a bit of an underrated book, I think, and was easily a four-and-a-half star read. Aside from a bit of profanity and talk of drugs, I'd recommend it to anyone 12 and up.
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Wanting to check out more 2016 debut authors? Here's the schedule for the entire month of June! (Blogs not hyperlinked yet, sorry!)
June 1st
My Book Addiction - Kristy Acevedo
SleepsOnTables – Michele Bacon
Adventures in Writing – Jennifer DiGiovanni
Sci-Fi and Scary - Margaret Dilloway
YaReads - A. E. Conran
BookCatPin - Anna Michels
June 2nd
Alice Reeds – Sarah Alexander
The Hermit Librarian – Anna Breslaw
Me, Myself, and I - Melissa Gorzelanczyk
Pulp and Mystery Shelf – Kim Savage
With Love for Books - Kat Helgeson
June 3rd
Let Me Tell You A Story - Amy Allgeyer
Gabriella M Reads – Tobie Easton
Bookish Wanderlove – Emily Martin
Brittany's Book Rambles - Robin Reul – Guest Post
Kirstyes - Books, Occupation - Magic! - Jennifer Mason-Black
Diane’s Book Blog – Michael Miller
Pimples, Popularity, and Protagonists – R.S. Grey
June 4th
Ink Sisters Write – Brooks Benjamin
21st Century Once Upon A Times – Lucy Keating
With Love for Books – Amber Smith
Swoony Boys Podcast - Mia Siegert
Vi3tBabe – Judy Sheehan
June 5th
Diane’s Book Blog – Sarah Ahiers
Cover2Cover - Kerry Kletter
The Candid Cover - Jenny Moyer
Lost in Lit – Katherine Fleet
Alice Reeds - Jenny Manzer
June 6th
Gabriella M Reads - Ami Allen-Vath
Two Chicks on Books - Nicole Castroman
Lisa Loves Literature – Janet B. Taylor
Downright Dystopian – Jeff Garvin
June 7th
The Hardcover Lover - Ashley Herring Blake
Here's to Happy Endings - Meg Leder
Vox Libris – Catherine Lo
YaReads – Scarlett Kol
The Book Cellar - Julie Hammerle
Ink Sisters Write - Kenneth Logan
Pimples, Popularity, and Protagonists – Jenna Welch
June 8th
Go Read A Book - Natalie Blitt
Curling Up With A Good Book - Lindsey Klingele
Across the Bookiverse - Kathy MacMillan
The Reading Nook Reviews - Rebecca Podos
June 9th
The Book Beacon - Andrew Brumbach
The Turning Pages – Shannon M. Parker
Book Lovers Life - Patrick Samphire
Bibliophilia, Please - Gordon Jack
June 10th
With Love for Books - Harriet Reuter
Hapgood the bookdragon - Marisa Reichardt
Cue My Muse - Laura Shovan
Rockin' Book Reviews – Bryan Methods
June 11th
Kirstyes - Books, Occupation - Magic! - Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Arctic Books – Laura Tims
Book Lovers Life - Sarah Schauerte Reida
June 12th
Bibliophilia, Please - Julie Eshbaugh
Mundie Kids – Robin Yardi
YaReads – Martine Lewis
June 13th
Little Book Heaven - Michelle Andreani
YaReads – Carrie Firestone
Me, Myshelf, and I – Peter HoffMeister
Emily Reads Everything – Emily Skrutskie
June 14th
Downright Dystopian - Christian McKay Heidicker
Brittany's Book Rambles - Kerri Maniscalco
Platypire Reviews – Nanci Turner Steveson
June 15th
My Book Addiction – Jennie K Brown
Sci-Fi and Scary - Jennifer Bardsley
June 16th
Milky Way of Books – Ava Jae
Rachel's Book Reviews – Jeff Zentner
June 17th
Write Writing Written - Lily Anderson
Two Chicks on Books – Kim Zarins
Pink Polka Dot Books - Heather Smith Meloche
June 18th
Pimples, Popularity, and Protagonists – K.C. Held
Wishful Endings – Elizabeth Briggs
Cue My Muse - Lee Gjertsen Malone
June 19th
Read.Sleep.Repeat. - Rahul Kanakia
YaReads – Dee Romito
With Love for Books – Jessica Taylor
June 20th
YaReads – Kurt Dinan
A Perfection Called Books – Erin Summerill
21st Century Once Upon A Times - Riley Redgate
My Book Addiction - Janet Sumner Johnson
June 21st
YaReads - J. Keller Ford
What's Write About This – Erin Teagan
Alice Reeds - Aditi Khorana
Latte Nights Reviews – Mia Garcia
June 22nd
Pink Polka Dot Books – Emily France
Emily Reads Everything - Sonya Mukherjee
YaReads - Everly Frost
Little Book Heaven - Paula Garner
June 23rd
Latte Nights Reviews - Kathleen Glasgow
Bookish Wanderlove - Karen Hattrup
June 24th
My Bookish Year – Erica M Chapman
The Eater of Books! – Julie Buxbaum
The Book Cellar - Jill Diamond
YaReads - Dana Elmendorf
June 25th
Pretty Deadly Reviews - Laurie Elizabeth Flynn
My Book Addiction - Erin Petti
SleepsOnTables - Parker Peevyhouse
The Phantom Paragrapher - Julie Leung
June 26th
The Book Cellar - Evangeline Denmark
The Reading Nook Reviews – Kathryn Purdie
Gabriella M Reads – Stephanie Scott
Read.Sleep.Repeat. - Lisa A. Koosis
June 27th
The Book Beacon - Claire Fayers
YaReads - Cheryl Blackford
Bookish Wanderlove - Jenn P. Nguyen
Bibliophilekid - Emily Cox and Nicole Allen
BookCatPin - Laura Stampler
June 28th
Pandora’s Books - Audrey Coulthurst
My Book Addiction – Abby Cooper
Downright Dystopian – Katie Kennedy
Hannah Plus Books – Tom Crosshill
Book Lovers Life - Cynthia Reeg
June 29th
Media Geeks Unite - Tricia Clasen
Tigersbooksandme - Destiny Soria
Mindjacked – Margot Harrison
books are love - Caleb Roehrig
Emily Reads Everything - Janet McNally
Platypire Reviews – Tara Sims
YaReads - Isabel Bandeira
June 30th
On Starships and Dragonwings – Traci Chee
Doodle's Book Reviews - Meghan Rogers
Pandora’s Books - Kathleen Burkinshaw
Bibliophilia, Please - Bridget Hodder
Swoony Boys Podcast - Krystal Sutherland
Alice Reeds - Karen Fortunati
My Book Addiction - Mike Grosso
The Reading Nook Reviews - Lindsey Roth Culli
Book Lover’s Life– Abigail Johnson
YaReads – Sarah Glenn Marsh
What's Write About This - Wade Albert White
