Oprah Winfrey’s book club is reading a new book that reinterprets a familiar classic, David CopperfieldCharles Dickens. The famous Dickens novel was set in Victorian England, but the new book is set today in America. The new novel Demon CopperheadBarbara Kingslover offers readers a modern interpretation of the classic.
You may know the author of the book. Kingslover has written many books that are well-known. Her works include Animal, Vegetable, Miracle The Poisonwood Bible, a previous pick in Oprah’s Book Club. Her stories are often about relationships between people and their environment. She also addresses topics like social justice. Demon CopperheadIt is the same.
‘Demon Copperhead’Is there a Coming Of Age story?
A story about life in southern Appalachia Virginia. Demon Copperhead, Damon Fields’ nickname, is the title of the movie. He was born to a single mom in the 1980s. He lives in poverty. He is nicknamed “The Little Man” as a child. “Demon”His so-called attitude problem. “Copperhead”His hair color is the reason.
The novel follows Demon’s journey of childhood in the rural south. Demon enters foster care due to his mother’s drug overdose and then becomes addicted to opioids himself after suffering a knee injury while playing football. However, the main character’s saving grace is his love for superheroes and his blossoming talent for drawing his own comics.
Reimagining ‘David Copperfield’21st Century America
Kingslover’s book surprisingly draws on David CopperfieldThis is a fascinating and innovative choice by the best-selling author. From the first line of the book, Kingslover acknowledges Dickens’ book while informing the reader that Demon CopperheadIt’s a story for a whole new generation.
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This line is from Demon as the main character starts to retell his childhood. “First, I got myself born.”For readers who are familiar with David Copperfield, they’ll recognize the connection, as well as the differences, at play in the opening lines of Dickens’ famous work: “Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.”
Demon CopperheadThis is a story about coming of age that addresses many of the hardships Americans are facing today. The story touches on themes like addiction, child labor, poverty, love and tragedies. However, throughout the book, Kingslover presents Demon in such a way that you’ll be cheering him on, even as he experiences loss after loss.