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MIThis week, I’d like to celebrate Read Across America Day (which is now a yearlong initiative) by sharing 5 books that have impacted me.
Kicking off this week is Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver.
The epigraph, from Charles Dickens's David Copperfield, reads "It's in vain to recall the past, unless it works some influence upon the present." It's a statement that is true on its own, but also true for Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead. She took the basic plot of David Copperfield and made it into something absolutely new and necessary. This isn't a simple modernization of a classic, this story needed to be told as well.
The book takes place about 20 mins from where I lived for 4 years, so I have a soft spot for the setting. I learned more about the history of the Appalachian peoples, including “melungeons” and “red necks.” This story perfectly showcases the struggles of generational poverty, lack of opportunities, and prejudice. If you want a fictional account that reflects the very real class wars in America, I submit this as a poignant example.
Yes, it's heavy. Yes, it's long. But it's such an important read.
#bookreview #readacrossamerica #demoncopperhead #bookstagram #MomsWhoRead
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class wars, rural america, opioid crisis, drug addiction
@middaymornings
