River usually walks through the woods from the bus stop to his house, and yesterday, as he walked, he heard a big machine in the distance. He followed the sound and saw bulldozers and a dump truck pushing down trees on one of the mountaintops. River told Mawmaw everything he’d seen, and she told him that for the past year, she’s been part of a group that fights against something called “mountaintop removal,” which is what River saw happening in the forest. Coal companies remove entire mountaintops to access coal. Mawmaw explains that coal companies often don’t care about the land or the people who live nearby; they only care about getting coal and making money. River is deeply affected by the nearby destruction of the mountains he loves so much, and he feels like his friends don’t care or understand like he does. 

The presidential election is coming up soon, and River notices that Meena has mentioned Obama a lot, since Kiku loves Obama. He explains that Mawmaw plans to vote for Obama, but not many other people in River’s community are voting for him. River also tells Meena that he has an accent too. He knows what it’s like to be made fun of for his accent, since other Americans make fun of a hillbilly accent in movies.