BOOK CLUB Demon Copperhead

Set against the backdrop of the southern Appalachian mountains, Demon Copperhead tells the story of a boy born to a teenage single mother living in a single-wide trailer. He possesses little more than his deceased father’s striking looks, copper-colored hair, sharp wit, and a remarkable instinct for survival. Narrated in his candid voice, Demon confronts the harsh realities of foster care, child labor, failing schools, athletic achievement, addiction, tumultuous relationships, and profound losses. Throughout his journey, he grapples with his own invisibility in a culture where even superheroes have overlooked rural communities in favor of urban locales.

Charles Dickens penned David Copperfield generations ago, drawing from his experiences as a survivor of institutional poverty and its impact on children of his era. Unfortunately, many of those issues remain unresolved in our society today. While familiarity with Dickens is not necessary for readers of this novel, he certainly inspired its creation. In adapting a Victorian epic to the modern American South, Barbara Kingsolver harnesses Dickens’ anger, compassion, and most importantly, his belief in the transformative power of storytelling. Demon Copperhead serves as a voice for a new generation of lost boys and for those born into beautiful yet cursed places they cannot envision escaping.