Free Audiobook : Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver

Demon Copperhead takes place in the mountains of southern Appalachia and follows the story of a boy who is born to a teenage single mother living in a single-wide trailer. With nothing but his deceased father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a sharp tongue, and a remarkable talent for survival, Demon narrates his own tale of braving the perils of modern-day foster care, child labor, failing schools, athletic success, addiction, heartbreak, and crushing loss. Throughout it all, he grapples with his own invisibility in a society where superheroes have abandoned rural areas in favor of cities.

Centuries ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield based on his experiences surviving institutional poverty and the harm it caused children in his community. Unfortunately, these problems still plague our society today. While listening to this novel, Dickens' work is not a requirement, but it served as the inspiration for the author, Barbara Kingsolver, as she transposed a Victorian epic to the contemporary American South. By doing so, she channels Dickens' outrage and compassion and, most importantly, his faith in the transformative power of a great story. Demon Copperhead is a voice for a new generation of lost boys and those who are born into beautiful yet cursed places they can never imagine leaving behind.