On December 10 at 2:30 p.m. we will discuss Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver at St. Matthew’s.

Demon, born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Using Charles Dickens’ novel David Copperfield—written from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages on children—as her inspiration, Kingsolver transposes her story to contemporary southwest Virginia’s Appalachia. This winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can’t imagine leaving behind. 

“Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, this is the story of an irrepressible boy nobody wants, but readers will love.”—Ron Charles, Washington Post

Save the date: On January 7 we will discuss The Violin Conspiracy by Brenda Slocumb.