Against The Grain

Acknowledgments

This is a work of fiction. However, it is based, in part, on the research of true events surrounding the Maxxam takeover of Pacific Lumber in 1985 and Redwood Summer in 1990. The time frame of the events for this novel has been simplified and shortened for dramatic purposes, and the main characters, Logan, Diana, Atlas, Zeff, and Jessica, are entirely invented. The Grove of the Ancients is also invented, though the Headwaters Forest Reserve is real. The skirmishes in my novel at the Headwaters are based on several real confrontations, one in 1987, detailed in David Harris’s book The Last Stand (183-187), and one at Owl Creek in 1990, detailed in Joan Dunning and Doug Thron’s book From the Redwood Forest (68-70). The two court cases these events are loosely based on, EPIC v. Maxxam and EPIC and Sierra Club v. Board of Forestry, took years to settle. I have changed the geography of what is now the Headwaters Forest Reserve for dramatic convenience. The bombing of Judi Bari was rendered as accurately as possible from The Judi Bari Website, and the accident at the mill is based on her articles in the International Workers of the World Historical Archives.

The Last StandFrom the Redwood Forest EPIC v. MaxxamEPIC and Sierra Club v. Board of Forestry,The Judi Bari WebsiteInternational Workers of the World Historical Archives.Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney, who are secondary characters in this novel, are real people. Their written accounts of the bombing and the history of these events made it possible for me to plausibly characterize them. Darryl Cherney graciously gave me permission to use his name in the book, though he is not a fan of mixing fact and fiction. Judi Bari passed away in 1997. For his account, please visit https://whobombedjudibari.com/ and h***:://www.judibari.org/. I am deeply grateful and in awe of them both. Thanks also to the Environmental Protection and Information Center (EPIC) and Earth First!, both real organizations. I’ve also made reference to several other real people who were hugely instrumental in taking Pacific Lumber to court and forcing them to adhere to environmental law: Greg King, Robert “Woods” Sutherland, and Cecelia Lanman, as well as Paul Watson, an activist famed for sinking whaling ships. These people and so many others risked their lives, their mental health, and their financial stability to hold the timber industry accountable. Many have not been named, such as Macon Cowles, a lawyer who mortgaged his own house to prosecute the case with Mark Harris in EPIC and Sierra Club v. Board of Forestry.

EPIC and Sierra Club v. Board of Forestry.There are many others to thank for this novel, chief among them is my husband, Charley Brown. He, along with my brother Loren Davidson plotted the story. Then Charley and I wrote a screenplay version twenty years ago as we jostled our newborn in our arms. My writing group is a source of constant support and wisdom: Jackie Goodwood, Anntonette Alberti, Elaine Handley, Antoinette Martin, and Karen Bjornland. They are an uncommonly intelligent and kind group of people, and we work together in a way that daily restores my faith in humanity. Thanks also to Nancy Seid, Matt Witten, Laura Albert, and Marilyn McCabe for blurbs, edits, and support. Everyone I contacted for help with accuracy responded with uncommon generosity: Doug Leen, Brian Maebius, Larry Livermore, Tom Wheeler of EPIC, Ryan Overbey (Professor of Buddhist Studies at Skidmore), and Hank Simms. Finally, much thanks to my publisher, Stephanie Larkin of Emperor Books, for her generous spirit.

Trees created the conditions that made human life possible and have fed, clothed, and sheltered us since we first evolved. They are our best defenses against climate change. The fight to save them continues today.