Readers may know Aya de León as the author of the four books published to date in her Justice Hustlers series of thrillers. Four have appeared to date among her eleven novels. But all her work so far shares an outspoken progressive perspective and highlights an activist approach to today’s social problems. Her latest effort, That Dangerous Energy, is about tackling climate change. It’s a subject that cries out loudly for action. Unfortunately, the solution she suggests in the novel is romantic and ill-conceived. De León doesn’t seem to understand the fossil fuel industry, which is at the heart of her story, or how any large corporation operates, for that matter.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Getting into bed with Big Oil—literally
That Dangerous Energy follows the life of romantic young Morgan Faraday as she works her way into the bed of Sebastian Reid. He’s the CEO of one of the world’s largest oil companies, and she’s dazzled. He’s a billionaire, too. And, unsurprisingly, White. Morgan is Black—multiracial, really—and, of course, beautiful. Their relationship begins on a tender and promising note, and soon Morgan is fantasizing about marriage. In fact, her “bestie” Dashawn constantly feeds her with tips about how to land the man. But Morgan’s hopes are dashed when she accidentally discovers that Sebastian is a liar. He presents himself to the world as an enlightened leader, intent on greening his company. But she comes to learn that it’s greenwashing. (Big surprise!) And Sebastian is breaking the law to secure a huge government contract. Soon Morgan begins actively spying on him—and funneling the evidence to the environmental protestors who have targeted him and his company.
That Dangerous Energy by Aya de León (2022) 384 pages ★★★☆☆
Juggling relationships with two men
To complicate matters, Morgan falls in love with a young man named Kevin, who is one of the leaders of the environmentalists picketing Sebastian’s offices. They meet on an airplane and fall into bed in short order. Once Kevin learns she’s in a relationship with Sebastian, he manages to convince her to spy on him. Eventually, he persuades her to work with him to bug Sebastian’s home office—and they do so, turning up damning evidence of criminal behavior on Sebastian’s part. But she hasn’t given up on him. She believes she may be able to “turn” him into a force for good. After all, he had merely inherited the company from his father, a notorious shark in business. And he really seems to her to be trying to make the company more eco-friendly. Before long, Morgan is juggling her relationships with the two men.
Since I don’t want to spoil the story, I won’t explain how de León resolves Morgan’s dilemma and shows her taking action to tackle climate change. Suffice it to say that the events she portrays are, in a word, preposterous. Aya de León is a brilliant poet and on-stage performer, and the one earlier book of hers that I’ve read was a good read. Unfortunately, this one wasn’t.
About the author
Aya de Leon teaches poetry and spoken word at the University of California, Berkeley. For ten years, she toured as a spoken word artist but settled down in Berkeley to raise a family and write novels. She is now the author of ten books. De Leon also blogs and writes for numerous online publications. She is a graduate of Harvard College and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Antioch University Los Angeles. Born in Los Angeles in 1967, de Leon is the daughter of the musician Taj Mahal and his first wife, Anna de Leon, owner of a jazz club in Berkeley and a former member of the Berkeley School Board.
For more reading
I’ve also reviewed the author’s A Spy in the Struggle (A brilliant thriller that exposes the FBI’s illegal tactics).
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