Book Review of Carbon Run: Tales From a Warming Planet

In Carbon Run: Tales From a Warming Planet, J.G. Follansbee speculates about an apocalyptic climate-change event forty year into the future. In response, the government passes the Carbon Acts to protect the planet and its species by outlawing the use of carbon fuels. These laws are enforced by the “Bessies” of the Bureau of Environmental Security, and one can almost imagine jack-booted thugs kicking down doors in their search for illegal fuel.

When single-dad William Penn accidentally burns down his cabin and starts a forest fire, one that wipes out a species of bird, he is forced to flee and abandon his young-adult daughter, Anne. As Penn struggles to find refuge, futuristic communications hardware such as mind’s eyes, c-tribes, and security robots propel the reader into a well-researched future. It’s not a world that tolerates law-breakers however, and technology makes escape even more formidable.

Follansbee’s prose really shines when Penn returns to his seafaring ways and takes a job on a modern sailing ship, one that is propelled by environmentally friendly wind-power, a design in vogue after carbon fuels are outlawed. Terms like bow thruster, athwartships, yardarms, and ratlines flow easily from the author’s in-depth of knowledge of historical sailing craft.
Carbon Run doesn’t preach about climate change. Instead, it prefers to paint a speculative future, one the reader must evaluate and interpret. It’s a dark world, where well-meaning bureaucrats zealously protect the planet. But will corruption and organized crime prevent humanity from solving these global problems? Will a loss of personal identity and privacy create a life no one desires?

Follansbee has us explore these issues through a well-told story of international intrigue and fast-paced action, set in a world full of pirates and ruthless police. As Penn crisscrosses the ocean in search of the truth, and a reunion with Anne, we find that human weaknesses, forty years into the future, haven’t changed much.

We’re left to hope that mercy and human compassion will rise above the challenges our future will present. Carbon Run is a thoughtful and enjoyable read from start to finish.

Carbon Run can be found on Amazon here.
 

Empowerment

As I finished editing Yes Means Yes, I encountered a scene that caused some spirited debate with several test-readers. It arrived in chapter three of the book, after protagonist Katie had spent her first summer, post-college, agonizing over a broken heart and a looming decision about graduate school. I liked the scene a lot. But in the end, I decided to delete it, and how I arrived at that decision illustrates one of the many challenges of writing. Here is the scene as originally written.

BY LATE AUGUST, KATIE HAD FINISHED her last day as a barista and had begun to pack. She didn’t own much beyond clothes, books, and a few kitchen things, so she could squeeze most everything into her five-year-old Subaru, a high school graduation gift from her parents. She shipped a few remaining boxes to the school to be picked up once she arrived. At her mom’s request, Katie convinced one of her roommates, Teresa, to accompany her on the drive to Boulder.
On her last night in Claremont, Teresa suggested that they go out for a farewell drink. Teresa drove her to a restaurant; when they walked inside, Katie was surprised to find six of her best friends crammed into a large booth in a corner. On the table were several gift bags surrounded by drinks from the bar. Tears and laughter came easily as she relived their many great memories from school. The enormity of her move began to sink in. She knew she’d really miss her friends and the comfort they brought her. Each of them had encouraged her after her breakup with Justin and now repeated what they’d told her earlier: she wouldn’t have any trouble meeting other desirable guys.
After opening and passing around the pile of cards and presents, Katie made a trip to the bathroom. Afterward, she returned to her friends by way of the restaurant’s crowded bar. Over the din of loud, alcohol-fueled conversations, she heard someone calling out her name. She turned and saw a guy she vaguely recognized from campus. She stepped over to join him, and he quickly reminded her that they’d taken sociology together. She hadn’t noticed him at the time, but while talking to him near the bar, she decided he was seriously cute. Better yet, he seemed mature. He mentioned that he, too, had just graduated and that he planned to stay in Claremont for work. When Katie mentioned that she needed to rejoin her friends, he suggested that she return to the bar afterward. She surprised herself and said “Sure.”
About an hour later, while saying good-bye to everyone, she told them about her earlier encounter. They all wanted to go check him out for themselves. She dissuaded them and planned to return later on by herself. Before leaving, Teresa made her promise to text her if she wouldn’t be coming home.
She found him in the bar with a couple of other guys, drinking beers and laughing. She guessed it was around midnight. She didn’t even know his name. She walked up to him and extended her hand. “I’m Katie.”
“I’m Ryan. Nice to finally meet you.”
Katie appreciated his firm handshake. He stopped suddenly. “What happened to your hand? I’m not hurting you, am I?”
“No, it’s from an accident I had playing soccer in middle school.” Katie held up her right hand and displayed her crooked index finger. “It was badly broken, and the doctor didn’t set it right. It doesn’t hurt—just looks funny.” She teasingly poked him in the arm. “See? Doesn’t hurt.”
Ryan’s eyes sparkled. “Would you like something to drink?”
“Just a glass of water.” She’d already had enough alcohol.
When a beer and a glass of water arrived, Ryan suggested they go find a table.
Katie studied his smooth face and solid jaw. “How’s the job hunt going?”
“I’m looking. I hope to find something soon. My parents keep telling me I’m on my own.”
“What’s your major?”
“Economics. I’m hoping to work for a couple of years and then go to graduate school. That’s my plan, anyway.” He laughed and took a sip of beer. “What about you?”
“I’m going to graduate school straight away. In fact, I’m leaving for Boulder tomorrow.”
“Great place. ‘Rocky Mountain High’ and all that.”
“I’ve never been there, but I hear it’s one of the best college towns in the country. I’m excited.” Katie turned and faced him square on.
“I’m sure you’ll like it.”
They were silent for a few moments. Ryan finally broke it and said, “Hey, weren’t you dating a guy named Justin?”
Katie could have gone all night without hearing that name again. “I was. Not anymore.”
“I’m not too sorry to hear that.”
“I’m not too sorry to tell you.”
“You want to get out of here?” As he said it, Ryan reached over and touched her hand.
“What do you have in mind?”
“Let’s go to my apartment. It’s quieter there.”
“OK.” Katie had just crossed a line that was unusual for her—spontaneity. Maybe it was the alcohol talking. Perhaps it was the reality of leaving town the next day and never coming back. Maybe it was a way to take one more giant step away from Justin. What she couldn’t deny was that she felt some serious desire for Ryan.
They walked half a mile or so to his apartment. He had a very nice condo, she noted—especially for a student—and she appreciated its great view and the tasteful furniture that didn’t appear to be secondhand. Katie was impressed. “Nice place. Didn’t you say you were worried about money?”
“My parents bought this for me after my sophomore year, once they believed I’d actually graduate. They felt it was a better investment than just giving me rent. Now that I’ve graduated, I have one year to start paying them back, or they’ll evict me. I’m sure they mean it.”
“Well, I’m guessing that with a major in economics, you won’t have any trouble.”
“I hope not.”
They walked into the living room. Ryan took Katie’s jacket and tossed it onto a nearby sofa. He put his arms loosely around her waist and kissed her, softly at first, then with increasing passion. Katie responded and explored his mouth with hers. Ryan wound his arms around her waist and pulled her in tight. She felt his strong chest underneath his shirt. Katie gave herself permission to shut off any second-guessing and enjoy what she knew was going to happen with a very sexy guy. She moved her hands down and started to unbutton Ryan’s jeans. His hands began to unbutton her white blouse.
Katie asked, “Got a condom?” Please say yes.
“Yes.”
Following an erratic path across the living room floor, interrupted by more kissing and clothes falling away, they arrived in his bedroom. She was down to her underwear and he his boxers. It wasn’t long before those hit the floor as well.

KATIE WOKE UP FEELING CONFUSED, and she rolled toward the opposite side of the bed. Justin’s naked body lay partially covered by a sheet. She lifted it up and took a quick peek. A smile crossed her face as she recalled the pleasant details of the past several hours. Then she panicked when she realized that it was light outside and that she had planned to meet Teresa back at her apartment for the drive to Boulder. She’d also forgotten to text Teresa that she wasn’t coming home. Katie quietly slipped from the bed and retrieved her clothes, a task made harder because it required her to follow the trail they’d left from the living room. After she dressed and found her purse and phone, she returned to the bed and kissed Ryan on his forehead.
He opened his eyes partway and in a shallow whisper said, “Can I call you?”
Katie thought for a minute. Her eyes swept across his form lying under the sheet. “No, I don’t think so. But thank you.” She slipped out the front door.
Katie reflected on the evening’s events during the short walk to her apartment. It was her first one-night stand. She didn’t quite know how to react; it was out of character, to say the least. Her life suddenly seemed full of new possibilities. She felt empowered. One aspect of her actions was undeniable: she’d just put the final nail in the coffin of her relationship with Justin.
Later that morning, after only a few hours of sleep, Katie left Claremont for the last time. After a stop at the apartment’s rental office to drop off her key and leave a forwarding address, Katie and Teresa drove northeast to Boulder by way of Las Vegas.

So what was it about this scene that elicited such strong opinions from my test-readers? It was Katie's decision to participate in her first one-night-stand, and her reaction of feeling "empowered" afterward.

One readers said "Sure, having casual sex might be fun, but empowering?  No way." I explained my motivation in writing it that way, that Katie was doing what men have been doing for generations, having casual sex and moving on, and that she felt empowered to realize that she too could enjoy sex outside of a commitment. It put her on equal footing. The test-reader wasn't persuaded.

Another reader said, "At that point in the book, Katie, wouldn't do it. She was too conservative and still hurting after her painful breakup. Plus, she didn't really like sex."  I agreed, and found several others who had the same concern. Casual sex was just too inconsistent with her character.

The aspect of this feedback that I found most interesting is how it broke along age. There were eight women who weighed in on this point, ranging in age between eighteen and seventy. All women thirty or under felt the scene was totally appropriate and believable. And without exception, the older women all said they didn't like Katie engaging in such casual sex. So I decided to cut the scene. I felt for the majority of readers, it just didn't work. And with it gone, no one would notice that it was missing. It's hard for a writer to let something go. As an editor once told me, if a reader has a problem with a certain aspect of the book, they can attribute it to personal preference.  But if several people have the same problem, then you as a writer have the problem. It was great advice. 

How Big is the Problem of Sexual Assault?

Measuring Sexual Assault on Campus
“1 in 4 Women Experience Sex Assault on Campus,” shouted the headline of a New York Times article on September 21st, 2015. The lead paragraph went on to state that: “In four years of college, more than one-fourth of undergraduate women at a large group of leading universities said they had been sexually assaulted by force or when they were incapacitated, according to one of the largest studies of its kind, released Monday.” I found the statement especially alarming since my daughter was in college at the time.

During several years researching Yes Means Yes: A Novel, the question of how to measure the occurrence of sexual assault on college campuses was a hard one to answer. As I recalled my own days as an undergraduate, I didn’t remember meeting or hearing of anyone involved in sexual assault. And the more I read, the more I found it hard to quantify. Is sexual assault on campus a serious problem? Is it an epidemic requiring procedural changes in campus policy as recommended by Department of Education in its Dear Colleague letter? I wanted to know, so I explored two statistical measures of the same problem, in a sense book-ends to a range of estimates.

Jeanne Clery Act
In Yes Means Yes, I mentioned the history of the Jeanne Clery Act, which requires all colleges and universities that participate in federal financial aid programs to keep and disclose information about crime on and near their respective campuses. Since Yes Means Yes takes place in Boulder, I reviewed the University of Colorado 2016 Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics, a report published annually as required by the law. Here is a table summarizing crimes reported for 2015:

Note that the Clery report follows the state of Colorado legal code to define sexual assault and unlawful sexual contact, and the Violence Against Women Act for related offences. The sum of the reported offenses (16+10+20+4+15) is 65. The number of female students at CU in 2015 can be estimated as 44.7% of 18,201, or 8,132. Therefore, the rate of sexual assault reported crimes in 2015 was 0.8%. The report explains in detail the methodology used to arrive at its estimates, and I found this note most interesting:

For Clery Act purposes, CU Boulder is required to report crimes that occur at noncampus buildings or property that are owned or controlled by student organizations officially recognized by CU Boulder. Panhellenic sororities and Multicultural Greek organizations (listed at http://www.colorado.edu/greeks) are officially recognized by CU Boulder and own or control off-campus housing buildings. The Boulder Police Department has primary responsibility for responding to reports of crimes that occur at these noncampus locations in the City of Boulder. As such, the Boulder Police Department monitors and records criminal activity reported to have occurred at Boulder locations owned or controlled by the Panhellenic sororities and Multicultural Greek organizations. CU Boulder does not officially recognize Interfraternity Council member houses; therefore, crimes that occur on their properties are not counted in the annual Clery statistics.

It would be illuminating to know how many sexual assault crimes, originating on Greek properties, were reported to the Boulder Police in the same time frame.

Campus Climate Survey Validation Study Final Technical Report
A second example of measuring the rate of sexual assault on college campuses comes from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Campus Climate Survey Validation Study Final Technical Report. This detailed report presents the results of a nine-school pilot test that was conducted to develop a campus climate survey for collecting school-level data on sexual victimization of undergraduate students during the 2014-15 academic year. To achieve this goal, a web-based survey was developed to focus primarily on sexual assault victimization. A limited set of victimization questions were also asked about the broader reference periods of sexual assault experienced since beginning college and over the students’ lifetimes. In addition, the survey included items for capturing experiences with sexual harassment; coerced sexual contact; intimate partner violence; and perpetration of sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Fourteen schools were asked to participate in the survey, and they represented diversity of both public and private funding, and of various sizes, ranging from less than 5,000 students to more than 20,000. Nine schools agreed to participate, and surveys were completed by more than 23,000 undergraduate students (approximately 15,000 females and 8,000 males). The average response rates across all nine schools was 54% for females and 40% for males. Response rates for females ranged from 43% (School 4) to 71% (School 5).

As anyone who has taken an undergraduate statistics course learns, the quality of sample responses determines the true representative nature of the mathematically derived estimates across the total population. For example, even though the sample population was randomly selected at each school, were respondents who fully completed the survey self-selected? In other words, would someone who had experienced sexual assault be more likely to complete a survey that someone who hadn’t experienced sexual assault? The CCSVS final report addresses these issues in detail and adjusts for estimated bias across respondents. Also, most CCSVS sample members were offered a $25 gift card as an incentive for completing the survey.
To determine whether a respondent had experienced sexual assault, a number of definitions and survey questions were utilized. Here is the statement that defines unwanted sexual contact, and subsequent survey questions referenced this definition and asked participants about the type and number of unwanted sexual contact that they had experienced.
 

Based on completed surveys across all nine schools, and adjusted for bias and sample error, the prevalence rate for completed sexual assault experienced by undergraduate females during the 2014–2015 academic year, averaged across the nine schools, was 10.3%, and ranged from 4.2% at School 2 to 20.0% at School 1. The prevalence rate for completed sexual assault since entering college among the female sample ranged from 12% at School 4 to 38% at School 1, with a cross-school average rate of 21%. The percentage of undergraduate females who experienced sexual assault during their lifetime ranged from 26% at Schools 4 and 9 to 46% at School 1, with a rate of 34% for all nine schools combined. 

Regarding the estimates for the incidence of sexual assault since entering college, the CCSVS notes several caveats:

As discussed in Section 5.2.2, no information about the number of such incidents, the type of unwanted/nonconsensual sexual contact that occurred, the tactic used, the month/year of the incident, or any other incident-level details were obtained about victimizations experienced prior to the 2014–2015 academic year. In addition, the longer reference period for these estimates of approximately 3.5 years for senior females might be more susceptible to measurement error in the form of recall bias or telescoping. Therefore, the “since entering college” estimates should be interpreted with caution.

Thinking back to the attention-grabbing headline of the New York Times article that “1 in 4 Women Experience Sex Assault on Campus,” the CCSVS study suggests a rate close to one in five during their undergraduate years, still a number that is too high. Another finding of the survey, one that lends support to efforts to provide a more inclusive environment on campus for victims of sexual assault, is that across the nine participating schools, only 4.3% of sexual battery incidents and 12.5% of rape incidents were reported by the victim to any official.
The University of Colorado Clery report put the rate of reported sexual assault on campus at less than 1.0%. The Campus Climate Survey Validation Study (CCSVS) found a rate of 10.3% across nine campuses. Why the difference? Clearly, reporting an incident to the police requires a willingness to engage with authorities, file a written report, and subject oneself to public scrutiny—a difficult decision for the victim if she feels she has no credible witnesses or evidence. A prosecutor in the King County Special Assault Unit told me that sex crimes are the hardest to prove because of the difficulty in establishing evidence. “At least with murder, there’s normally a corpse,” he added grimly.

What can We Infer?
What accounts for the over ten times higher rate reported by the CCSVS than the actual Clery crime statistics? One explanation could be that the definition used in the survey is broader than criminal sexual assault or rape, and includes unwanted sexual contact and touching. Another is that reporting a historical event on an anonymous web-based survey over twenty minutes presents much less personal investment than reporting an actual crime to the police. Regardless, the rate of reporting, which is low my any standards, is a concern. Surveys show that most college assaults are not reported for several reasons. When asked, victims have said they didn’t have proof that the incident occurred, were afraid of retaliation by the perpetrator, were scared of hostile treatment by the authorities, were uncertain the authorities would consider the incident serious enough, or wanted to prevent family and others from learning about it.

So how big is the problem? This past summer I visited a friend’s fifteen-year-old niece at a summer camp in the San Juan Islands. For four weeks, girls and boys age nine through sixteen live together in a natural setting and learn about teamwork, self-reliance, and spiritual awareness. My own daughter attended there and was a counselor during college summers. Outdoor skills are emphasized, like sailing, kayaking, and bicycling, over extended multi-day trips. As we spent the day visiting with the niece, enjoying an amazingly beautiful summer afternoon and strolling around the island, we inadvertently came across the camp director and a counselor engaged in serious conversation with a male camper. Once we were out of earshot, the niece explained that on one of the overnight trips, the male camper had touched a female camper in an inappropriate and unwanted manner while in a tent. Everyone in the camp was aware of the incident, and a decision was being made about whether to expel the camper. I asked her if that was something she ever worried about, of boys being too aggressive. Her response saddened me: “Yes, you can’t be too careful and it’s something I’m on-guard against all of the time.”

Our children should grow up confident that if someone wants to engage in a sexual relationship, it will be appropriate and it won’t happen without prior consent. Learning of how the niece, at age thirteen, was always on the lookout for predators, told me all I needed to know about the size of the problem.

Photo Credit: Lois Mueller colopallets@gmail.com