Badass

by Jaymie Heilman

Three teens set out to stop a pipeline, but their secrets, anxieties, and one very obnoxious ex-boyfriend might just explode their friendship first.

Reeling from an online hate-storm after she blamed Alberta's oil industry for a devastating forest fire, Davis wades back into climate activism to impress her two new friends and win back her ex-boyfriend. The novel is told from the points of view of the three main characters: Davis's parents work for the oil company she is fighting against; Renzi learns what it's like when climate change strikes back after hurricanes destroy her grandparents' home; and Jae hasn't found the right moment to share the truth about her growing feelings for another girl. Tripped up by family pressures and their own secrets and lies, the teens' anti-pipeline efforts may jeopardize their friendship and lose the people they love most--unless they find their own ways to fight for what they believe in.

259 pages, Paperback

Published September 25, 2023

Reviews

[Ren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was alright, not my favourite book I've read but the climate message is strong. I'm not sure why every one of the POV characters was against having a chat with each other and held so much stock in keeping secrets, along with why this one dude is apparently the biggest thing for all of them. I'm also not a huge fan of the half first half third person narrative thing, it made it jarring to switch between points of view. All in all, decent, I just wish they had actually unpacked some of Davis's actual concerns with her privacy, and I'm not sure how no one could tell Jae was supposed to be rich? She has a Tesla.

[Marlene Wurfel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about what it's like to live in the real world during the surreal events of a climate crisis. It's about the overarching human need for love and connection, about coping with an uncertain future, and about living in a small community, a global community, and a digital one too. This is a novel with three points of view. Three teens who care about the world they inhabit define themselves in the wake of a devastating wildfire. Badass-ish reminds us that no matter how catastrophic events are, teens are just teens, struggling to make sense of the world. This is climate literature in the world as we know it. Heilman is definitely a voice to watch in Canadian fiction.