Likely Stories - Demon Copperhead

Her setting isn't London, but southwest Virginia; her critical target isn't first wave industrialism, but big pharma. Think Purdue Pharma and oxycontin.

Narrated by the grownup title character, nicknamed Demon Copperhead, this novel is both brutal... and beautiful.

Demon is fatherless before he's born, caring for his addict mother by grade school, abused by his stepdad, and motherless by eleven. Assigned one social worker after another, and mistreated by cruel foster families, resilience and a few good souls help Demon survive. But unthinkable misfortune always awaits. About one calamity, he says "At the time, I thought my life couldn't get any worse. Here's some advice: Don't ever think that.”

The novel pulls no punches in depicting dehumanized children like Demon. You will weep at their plight and rage at their persecutors.

a book

Yet we know the story goes somewhere because Demon survives to tell it with honesty and perspective. Late on, he says, "I've tried... to pinpoint... where everything starts to fall apart.. But there's also the opposite, where some little nut cracks open inside you and a tree starts to grow." That tree's beauty-the miracle of Demon Copperhead-will bring you tears of joy.

Kingsolver is an artist. Her characters are deeply textured and multidimensional. She exquisitely paints Appalachian wildflowers, sunsets, and mountain vistas.

But this is not a novel for the Pollyanish or prudish. Tragically debauched lives, portrayed with R-rated realism, abound.

For whom is this heart-wrenching, award-winning novel? Kingsolver tells us: "For the kids who wake up hungry in those dark places every day, who've lost their families to poverty and pain pills, whose caseworkers keep losing their files, who feel invisible, or wish they were: this book is for you."

In these, the last words of Kingsolver's book, we catch a glimpse of the author's passion, her conviction, her sorrow, and her hope that we Americans might do better for children who are neglected and forgotten. Demon Copperhead is truly a fitting heir to David Copperfield. I hope you read this Pulitzer Prize-winner, feel its urgency, and do something about it!

RECENT EPISODES OF LIKELY STORIES

Likely Stories - Hope by Pope Francis

Host - Likely Stories

Likely Stories - The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig

Have you ever found yourself inexplicably moved by something incredibly simple and innocuous? A blinking street light in the dead of night. A solitary shopping cart in an empty parking lot. If so, then you might like to know, that sudden shift of emotion is known as a heartspur.

Likely Stories - Bitter Soil by Mahasweta Devi

This is Guilherme Feitosa DeAlmeida, senior lecturer of Musical Theatre at Baylor University. I'm here with this week's edition of Likely Stories. Award winning author Mahasweta Devi is an environmental crusader. Bitter Soil is her narrative manifesto.

Likely Stories - You're Not Listening: What You're Missing and Why It Matters by Kate Murphy

In my goal to read more nonfiction books, I picked up You’re Not Listening – what you’re missing and why it matters by Kate Murphy. I admit I can’t remember who recommended this book, I probably wasn’t listening… but reading it is a great opportunity to learn how to become a better listener and who doesn’t want that.I’m Lucy Petter. Welcome to today’s Likely Stories.

Likely Stories - I Who Have Never Known Men by Jaqueline Harpman

My name is Heather White, I teach Art History classes at Baylor and manage my household, I have two toddlers and a ten year old. Today I am reviewing, “I Who Have Never Known Men,” by Jaqueline Harpman. If you’ve never heard of it, don’t worry, it’s an older, obscure book with a somewhat wordy title.

Likely Stories - Midnight Cowboy by James Kendrick

If you haven’t seen the movie Midnight Cowboy, don’t read Baylor professor James Kendrick’s new book Midnight Cowboy. It is full of spoilers…full.

Likely Stories - The Favorites by Layne Fargo

You know, investing my soul into a story about fictional competitive ice dancers was not what I had on my 2025 BINGO card, yet there I was, poring over the pages of this book and pouring out my emotions over this debut that is an homage to Wuthering Heights and reads like part fictional account and part Netflix Olympic documentary. Dig in your toepicks to 'The Favorites' by Layne Fargo and get ready for one heck of a spin.

Likely Stories - Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Hey there. Lauren here. I’m KWBU’s public relations intern as well as a Baylor student and a bookseller at Fabled. Today I’m going to be talking all about the book, Carrie Sotozis Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Let me tell you, I love me some Taylor Jenkins Reid. I would probably say she’s my favorite author. She writes such fascinating stories with the most interesting characters. One of these interesting characters being Carrie Soto.

Likely Stories - Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley

Have you ever been in a daily commute, or in a class, and sat next to the same people day in and day out, and not known one thing about them? Not their names, not their jobs, and certainly not their lives. You give them nicknames in your head attributed to what they wear and what they drink, but you have no idea who they are. Of course, you never speak. The first rule is “don’t talk to strangers.” What would it take to get to know these people, and in turn to let them into your life?

Likely Stories - Bringing Ben Home: A Murder, A Conviction, and the Fight to Redeem American Justice by Barbara Bradley Hagerty

I’m Joe Riley with KWBU, and this is Likely Stories.Every couple of weeks, I visit the Waco McLennan County Library and browse the New Book shelves. That’s where I saw Bringing Ben Home: A Murder, A Conviction, and the Fight to Redeem American Justice. Actually, it was the author’s name that first caught my eye – Barbara Bradley Hagerty is currently a contributing writer at The Atlantic. Before that, she spent 19 years reporting on justice issues and religion for NPR. I checked the book out because I’ve always been impressed by her work.