Best Of: Life in the Mojave Desert / Director of ‘The Uprising’

This week on Fresh Air Weekend, we delve into two powerful narratives of resistance and resilience. Author Claire Vaye Watkins joins Terry Gross to discuss her latest novel, "Yellow Pine," a story deeply rooted in the environmental and social complexities of the Mojave Desert. Following this, director Paul Greengrass speaks with Tonya Mosley about his new film, "The Uprising," which draws parallels between the 1381 Peasants' Revolt in England and contemporary societal tensions.

"Yellow Pine": A Novel Rooted in the Mojave's Realities

Claire Vaye Watkins's new novel, "Yellow Pine," takes readers to the Eastern Mojave Desert, a landscape she knows intimately, having grown up there. The novel's protagonist, much like Watkins herself, lives in a small town called Tecopa, nestled between Las Vegas and Death Valley. This seemingly remote area, home to only about 100 people, is depicted as a place of stark beauty with staggering mountain ranges and a subterranean river that surfaces in hot springs, creating an "explosion of life." However, this unique ecosystem is under threat from extensive energy development.

Watkins explains that the vast majority of land in this region is public, making it a target for what boosters call the "green energy gold rush." While solar energy might sound appealing, the scale of development in the Mojave is wreaking havoc on the desert ecosystem. The area is also facing geothermal and mining development, with the latter having a long history there. The aquifer, a vital water source in an already arid region, is being dramatically depleted. Watkins expresses her concern that while decarbonizing the economy and embracing renewable energy are crucial, the current approach in the Mojave involves "really serious sacrifices" that don't seem "right or fair" and may not truly help the transition off fossil fuels.