Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver



Demon Copperhead by Barbra Kingsolver

Submitted by Morgan Olson, Blountville Branch Manager

Demon Copperhead is a modern retelling of the Dickens classic, David Copperfield,but you do not need to be familiar with the original work to take something away from this close-hitting
Appalachian tale. Damon, nicknamed Demon for his red hair and fiery personality, feels like he lives
a pretty normal life for trailer-park kid living in Lee County, Virginia.

He has a single mother that loves him, even though she's in and out of rehab, and has a great
family next door where his best friend lives. He plays outside, fishes, loves superheroes and loves
to draw. Things are tough, but they always get through, at least until his mother gets married to her
tough-guy boyfriend. The abuse he suffers at the hands of his stepfather, and his mother’s continued
drug use leads him to a childhood in foster care. The abuse Demon suffers does not end when he
leaves home for the broken and diminished foster care system in Lee County. 


When Demon finally enters a safer home as a teenager, he falls in love with the Lee County tradition
of Friday night high school football. Unfortunately, when he is injured, he is prescribed opioids for the
pain. Demon becomes addicted very quickly and begins his downward spiral into adulthood. Demon
puts a sympathetic face on the opioid addiction we have all heard about and seen. He is also able to
take a critical look at how Lee County became a hotspot for addiction and despair. Demon’s story
proves that sometimes we only need some help to lift ourselves out of the darkest times. 

Demon Copperhead is available for checkout at all branches of Sullivan County Libraries both as a book and an audiobook. It is also available through our apps Hoopla and Libby!

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