The Awakening

A novel set on Saint Croix in the Caribbean in 1990.

Global warming and war are the evil twins.  Both are deeply rooted in oil.

Young people today in countries around the world inherit a polluted planet at the brink of unprecedented climate tipping points.  As a teacher, I know that students live with growing anxiety, deepening anger, and a sense of helplessness.  When Greta Thunberg spoke, warning the world that we live in a time of “crisis”, thousands of young people rallied in the streets to support her.

In addition, young people around the world inherit the ancient plague of war.  Most wars are caused by one man with enormous power.  Nuclear weapons wrap around our planet, waiting for an impulsive commander in chief, or simply a sudden accident, to launch these hideous weapons at a multitude of targets.

The Awakening is the story about a veteran of the war in Vietnam, who slowly, painfully, but with great determination, emerges from the mental wreckage of that war, so that he can help others who are fighting their own lonely battles.

Nicholas meets Jasmine, a widowed mother with two young children, who teaches marine biology at the local university.  She knows that the dying coral reefs which wrap around their island in the Caribbean Sea are a flashing red light, warning us that we are at the brink of planetary climate catastrophes.

The Awakening is a story filled with hope, because it offers concrete steps toward resolving the climate crisis, while at the same time it offers concrete steps toward building a bedrock foundation of peace.

As a teacher, I have written this book primarily for the young people of the world, who inherit the enormous challenges of the 21^st Century.  But because the story is multi-generational, and because most of the characters are African-Caribbean islanders—both American citizens and members of the larger world—the story can reach out to readers around the planet.

Now in 2026, in a deeply troubled world, we do not need any more fantasy, we do not need any more escape.  We need a deeply researched story which offers a concrete plan and an unprecedented team, so that together we can build a healthy and peaceful planet Earth.

Let us beat the blades of our swords into the blades of wind turbines.

Then shall we no longer ache for, but insist on, a peace that is pleasing

To everyone’s Creator, and to everyone’s child.

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John Slade
Sognsvann Lake, Oslo, Norway

Book categories: Climate Change and Clean Energy