Book Details

Title: THE TOWN MANAGER
Series Title: Earth in Transition
Published: January 9, 2025
ISBN: 9798304583633
Genre: Climate Fiction / Contemporary Drama
About 60,000 words
Themes: Adaptation, Community Resilience, Personal Sacrifice, Climate Change
Imprint: Coldwater Press Independently published
Publisher: Agua Fria Open Space Alliance, Inc. – Coldwater Press
Paperback, Black & white, White paper, 6” x 9”
Pages: 220 pages
Price: $17.95, Kendle: $5.95

Book Description

The Town Manager is a tale of resilience, leadership, and the human spirit in the face of environmental catastrophe.

James Holden, a young and ambitious town manager, takes on his first job in the small, drought-stricken town of Maplewood. What begins as a chance to prove himself quickly becomes a test of endurance as biosphere decline and climate change threatens the town’s very existence. With water supplies dwindling, extreme storms wreaking havoc, and wildfires encroaching, James must navigate the competing demands of an irritable Town Council, a divided community, and his own struggling family.

As Maplewood faces the unthinkable—relocation—James rallies the town to adapt in extraordinary ways. From creating fireproof homes and pioneering a vertical farm to fostering a spirit of cooperation among farmers and residents, the town transforms into a model of resilience. Along the way, James discovers that leadership doesn’t require having all the answers, it requires trusting in the strength of a community.

Rich with emotion and urgency, The Town Manager explores the intersection of personal sacrifice and collective survival. This poignant novel is a timely reflection on the challenges we face in a rapidly changing world and a tribute to the enduring power of hope and humanity.

Book Summary

The year is 2030, and the cascading effects of biosphere decline and climate change are creating chaos worldwide. In Maplewood, a small town reliant on a drying stream and dwindling groundwater, James Holden begins his first job as Town Manager.  Through perseverance, ingenuity, and a deep commitment to his community, James becomes a symbol of resilience and adaptation in a transforming world.

Part I: Arrival and Challenges

James Holden arrives in Maplewood eager to prove himself. The town, plagued by groundwater depletion, worsening droughts, and economic stagnation, presents a daunting challenge. James quickly realizes that traditional methods won’t be enough to address Maplewood’s existential threats. Facing resistance from skeptical residents and a divided town council, James lays the groundwork for change, focusing on conservation, water recycling, and collaborative governance.

Part II: Innovations and Community Building

James’s early initiatives include creating a regional cooperative with neighboring towns to build a solar farm, implementing sustainable water management systems, and restoring the local creek’s ecosystem. He faces pushback from figures like Doug, a council member resistant to change, and Frank, a farmer deeply tied to his land and wary of new ideas. Despite these challenges, James builds alliances with key figures, including Carla Diaz, a pragmatic and supportive council member, and Dr. Ellen Burke, a dedicated water expert.

Emily, James’s wife, opens an art center that becomes a beacon of hope and a hub for community engagement. Their daughter, Sophie, grows up amidst these challenges, contributing her own creativity and optimism to the town’s efforts.

Part III: The Decision to Move

As Maplewood faces increasingly severe droughts, heatwaves, and storms, James introduces a controversial decision framework to evaluate whether the town can remain viable. The framework lays the foundation for discussions about moving the community to a safer location, sparking debates and divisions among residents. Many, including Frank, feel emotionally tied to the land, while others recognize the necessity of moving to protect their families and livelihoods.

James and Carla scout potential relocation sites, ultimately identifying a location with better water resources and infrastructure opportunities. The council approves a phased relocation plan, allowing residents to gradually transition while maintaining some fortifications in the original Maplewood.

Part IV: Building New Maplewood

The first phases of New Maplewood’s construction begin, incorporating lessons from the original town. Houses are built with fireproof materials, renewable energy systems are expanded, and water recycling technology is integrated into every aspect of the new community. Emily takes charge of preserving Maplewood’s history and culture, ensuring that the move is not seen as abandoning their identity but as a continuation of their story.

Meanwhile, James works tirelessly to maintain trust between the two towns, addressing the frustrations of those who remain in Old Maplewood while ensuring the smooth transition of those moving to the new site.

Part V: The Human and Emotional Toll

The relocation plan strains James’s relationships and the town’s unity. Dr. Burke announces her retirement, leaving a void in the town’s environmental leadership. Frank finally agrees to sell his farm but only after heartfelt discussions with James about preserving the land’s legacy. Sophie, now a young adult, contributes to the new town’s cultural fabric, helping to reimagine Maplewood’s identity in its new location.

James struggles with the emotional toll of leading a divided community, but Emily’s unwavering support and Sophie’s creative contributions help him stay grounded. Together, they navigate the complexities of ensuring that Maplewood’s spirit survives the physical move.

Part VI: A Reflection on Survival

The novel’s final chapter leaps ahead many years. Sophie, now an elderly woman, stands on a hill overlooking New Maplewood. The land around the town is barren, a stark testament to the devastating affects of climate change and biosphere collapse. The forests are gone, the soil is gone, and the natural world that once spread over the entire planet and surrounded Maplewood has faded into memory.

Yet, within the bounds of New Maplewood, life continues. The town endures, a carefully maintained oasis of survival in an inhospitable world. Its geothermal power station, its vertical farm, and its water recycling systems humming with quiet efficiency, and its homes—fireproof, windproof, and cooled by geothermal sources—stand firm against the relentless elements. The community, though smaller now, persists with tenacity borne of generations of adaptation and sacrifice.

As Sophie gazes at the town from her vantage point, she reflects on the immense efforts of her father, James, her mother, Emily, and all those who had built and rebuilt Maplewood against impossible odds. Their vision, their refusal to give up, and their commitment to preserving life had made survival possible, even in a world that had become increasingly hostile.

Sophie smiled faintly, a mixture of pride and sorrow in her expression. She knows what has been lost, but she also knows that the town’s survival, its precious seed vault and history archive are a testament to humanity’s ability to adapt, endure, and find hope for the future. As she turned and began her slow descent down the hill, she took a last look at New Maplewood—a fragile yet enduring legacy of resilience and the power of community.