Hippies are camped in the valley and the local pastor vows to put a stop to this abomination. The local kids and the hippy kids must deal with the pastor's strange antics.

     Religious people can be quite narrow-minded about a lot of things. Viewed from the perspective of aliens from another planet some of the Puritanical restrictions placed on human behavior in our society that are the result of the influence of modern Christianity, would seem truly bizarre and even a bit silly. Often the significance of certain acts is blown out of proportion. It is not clear why those who do not prescribe to a given set of religious beliefs should be required to follow the behavioral guidelines derived from such beliefs, but quite often individuals of a religious persuasion are successful at getting their religious beliefs codified into law. Justification for this state of affairs is a bit dubious, but often religious folks feel fully entitled to impose their will on others. Certainly this is what John Stuart Mills had in mind when he spoke of the danger of the tyranny of the majority inherent in democracies that don't have appropriate restrictions in place limiting the extent to which government can interfere in what should be personal and private matters.

     What does this have to do with Black Turtle: Hot Springs Casualties? Well, to begin with although the main characters in the book are a group of fun-loving boys, the story is really about a small, isolated town in the middle of the desert inhabited by people, the majority of which, prescribe to a Puritanical mindset. However, this way of viewing the world gets challenged in a number of ways as the events of this story unfold. The boys are directly involved in these events and directly observe the reactions of the adults around them. In fact, some of the boys experience negative consequences as a result of the clash of cultures that is portrayed in the story. Does the dominant culture resist counter-cultural influences or does it change and adapt to evolve into a more inclusive culture?

     Although conflict between those with different ideologies can often become nasty and even violent, such conflict also provides many opportunities for humor, growth, and insight into the human condition. Although there is much disagreement and even negativity expressed by some of the characters portrayed in the book, the main characters are still able to enjoy a great deal of fun-filled adventure. Not only do they meet, and develop friendships with, people with backgrounds different from their own, they also get to ride around on ATVs in the desert, explore mines, and even meet aliens from another planet. On top of all this they somehow manage to complete their science projects. In fact, one of the boys does his science project on the dangers of hot springs!

More info at amazon.com: Black Turtle: Hot Springs Casualties