Why Janet loves this book
In my opinion, Demon Copperhead wins the prize for most original voice this year. Kingsolver places the reader inside the head and heart of a young boy whose needs are immense but resources are scarce. This produces all kinds of emotion and learning, but in an entertaining way that keeps you reading from start to finish. I'm happy Kingsolver didn't preach in this book as she often does in others. The story was enough; it sent her message loud and clear without the need for explicit persuasion about poverty or foster agencies, poor parenting and education, or a better life for a young boy in rural Appalachia. Great book!
123 authors picked Demon Copperhead as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
Demon's story begins with his traumatic birth to a single mother in a single-wide trailer, looking 'like a little blue prizefighter.' For the life ahead of him he would need all of that fighting spirit, along with buckets of charm, a quick wit, and some unexpected talents, legal and otherwise.
In the southern Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, poverty isn't an idea, it's as natural as the grass grows. For a generation growing up in this world, at the heart of the modern opioid crisis, addiction isn't an abstraction, it's neighbours, parents, and friends. 'Family' could mean love, or reluctant foster…
