'Demon Copperhead' tackles opioids, poverty and resilience in Appalachia

episode

NPR's Book of the Day not yet transcribed

▲ 0

Transcript

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet Upvotes decide what gets transcribed next — 0 so far. Sign in to upvote

More from NPR's Book of the Day

'Grit' author Angela Duckworth on how changing your situation can lead to success 12 min · 22 Sep 2026

'Conclave' author Robert Harris is out with a fictional Roman Empire memoir 10 min · 21 Sep 2026

In new memoir, Colin Kaepernick reflects on his historic national anthem protest 26 min · 18 Sep 2026

'Seasons of Fury' traces the roots of Islamophobia in the United States 10 min · 17 Sep 2026

Katherine Rundell says it's a mistake for adults to discard children's literature 13 min · 16 Sep 2026

'Odyssey' translator Emily Wilson on her book of essays 'Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea' 9 min · 15 Sep 2026

All episodes from NPR's Book of the Day →

Report any issue

Source

Recorded27 Dec 2022

Publisherfeeds.npr.org ↗

Handlerec:4583280

Show notes

Novelist Barbara Kingsolver loves living in the Appalachian hills of southwestern Virginia. But she says she feels that the region is often misconstrued by mainstream media. Her new book, Demon Copperhead, follows a young boy grappling with the consequences of loss, addiction and poverty – but also finding ways to survive through creativity and imagination. In this episode, Kingsolver speaks with Here & Now's Scott Tong about the Dickensian influences in the novel, the divide between urban and rural, and the idea that "the middle of nowhere is relative."Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Sign in