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Demon Copperhead: A Novel | Barbara Kingsolver

Hey #Cooperheads how are you coming along?? I‘m about halfway through. Thank GD some of the misery has subsided although I‘m sure more is waiting around the corner. I read an interview with BK and she said her goal was to “generate empathy in readers for people they don‘t know well and maybe have misunderstood.” 💯 she‘s succeeding IMHO. What do y‘all think???

Cinfhen @CBee @alldebooks @squirrelbrain @juniperwilde @jamiearc @kristin_reads
@BookBosomed1 @Scochrane26 1y

Cinfhen @BookBosomed1 @trishb @BookBelle84 @SamAnne @AmyG @KathyWheeler @gossamerchild @Hokey @Kangaj1 @Chelsea.Poole 1y

Cinfhen
@LeeRHarry @Cuilin @mcctrish 1y

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TrishB Agree totally. Definitely a reminder to question stereotypes. 1y

Cinfhen Exactly @TrishB ❣️ 1y

squirrelbrain I think, from what I‘ve read so far, that the child‘s perspective shows us how people become what they are through no fault of their own, but from circumstances they are put in by others, and by society, thereby giving us an understanding of how this may happen. (edited) 1y

KathyWheeler I agree that she‘s succeeded in what she set out to do. 1y

Cinfhen Yesssss! It‘s the first thought we get from Demon @squirrelbrain and it‘s definitely playing over & over 1y

Cinfhen @KathyWheeler I didn‘t know she‘s from Appalachia - did you ? 1y

Chelsea.Poole Very well put @squirrelbrain and I agree!! 1y

Chelsea.Poole Welllll…it‘s interesting to me (I was just mentioning this at work while singing this book‘s praises) because I live in Appalachia, have my whole life, and came of age when Demon did. Many of his references are childhood memories of mine. Though I was lucky to have a stable home, with an incredible mother, very close family members, classmates, and friends could be Demon. So this book feels like home to me and a perspective I‘ve witnessed. Cont⬇️ 1y

Chelsea.Poole To touch on what @squirrelbrain says about innocent children getting caught up in these circumstances and becoming players themselves—this is a cycle and one that I‘ve witness play out over generations in my area. To the point though, I do love that this book is being widely read by many, and I think Kingsolver has done an excellent job of putting us squarely in Demon‘s shoes. 1y

Cinfhen It‘s amazing how many stereotypes exists based on region @Chelsea.Poole and unfortunately I feel many kids find themselves in Demon‘s shoes by sheer circumstance. This book is a wonderful wake-up call!! 1y

Scochrane26 @cinfhen Kingsolver is from Carlisle, Kentucky & now lives near Abingdon, VA, which if you remember is where one of the major trials about OxyContin happened. Some of Kentucky isn‘t actually in Appalachia but might as well be, based on culture/poverty. This story is familiar to me because of kids I work with, both in Lexington & rural areas. Except that foster parents are better than the ones in the book. (edited) 1y

AmyG So I wanted to look at pictures of the area we are reading about and came across a photographer….Stacy Kranitz. I follow her on instagram now and her workis beautiful. Here is an article about her https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/12/stacy-kranitz-photography-book... 1y

AmyG I do feel empathetic. There are so many kind people in this book just trying to live their lives…like any other place in the world yet are victims of their circumstances. @Chelsea.Poole yes, generational. Aside from Demon‘s story, I found this fascinating as I had no idea about this part of the country. 1y

Cinfhen Thanks for the link @AmyG going to check it out now 💚 1y

Cinfhen @Scochrane26 I‘m really relieved to hear that your experience working with foster parents have been more positive because what I‘ve read so far in this book broke my heart 💔 1y

Chelsea.Poole @amyg The library where I work owns a copy of a book by Kranitz...we were contacted by someone (maybe the artist or the marketing dept?) who wanted to donate it as the book contains photographs of our region. I'm familiar...and have mixed feelings. Though the photos are gorgeous, all I see is bleakness, when I know there is so much more to our area and people. (edited) 1y

Cinfhen I was just thinking @Chelsea.Poole after reading the article that while the photos are incredibly artistic they do seem to highlight the stereotypes we‘ve been talking about🤷🏼‍♀️ 1y

AmyG @Chelsea.Poole Yes, that was my thought, too. That the pictures were all bleak. There was no balance. @Cinfhen I found all this fascinating that while trying to dispel the stereotypes they were in fact reinforcing them. (edited) 1y

AmyG I think the photos I liked the most were of the beauty of the landscape. 1y

Cinfhen Agreed, the first photo of the landscape was just STUNNING @AmyG 1y

Kristin_Reads I *do* feel empathy for Demon and his friends, though I‘m not very familiar with Appalachia, nor the stereotypes. What‘s striking to me is the structure and the writing. There‘s just so much here. 1y

Cinfhen This book is going to become a modern day classic @Kristin_Reads for the very ideas you struck upon…structure and writing! There is SO MUCH going on yet it‘s not overwhelming or complicated. It‘s just masterfully crafted. It‘s reminding me of another book by Kingsolver that I LOVED

Poisonwood Bible

Kristin_Reads @Cinfhen I agree that it will be a modern classic. I predict this will win some awards… 1y

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