Demon Copperhead by Barbara KingsolverSet in the mountains of southern Appalachia, Demon Copperhead is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. Relayed in his own unsparing voice, Demon braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities. Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens’ anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can’t imagine leaving behind. |
The Porch Down Home by Deborah Ronna BakerA beautiful portrait of an African American family in a small town of Oklahoma Deborah Ronna Baker’s The Porch Down Home tells the story of seventeen-year-old Avie and her fifteen-year-old sister Cassie. When their parents are killed in a tragic accident, the sisters are taken in by their loving grandparents, Emmanuel and Fronia Wallace (or as the girls affectionately and respectively call them, Bigdaddy and Bigmamma). Based on—and named after—the author’s own grandparents, the story paints Bigdaddy and Bigmamma as “the epitome of a marital example.”Set in the historically African American town of I.X.L., Oklahoma, the book follows Avie and her family in several settings through the town including its church, the school which the sisters attend, and the Wallace homestead. The family’s home is an active and vibrant place where they raise their own livestock and grow their own crops, including an herb with mystical healing properties. Though much of the town is aware of the existence of Bigdaddy’s miracle herb, he is very protective of it. He doesn’t realize trouble may be closer to home than suspected.When Avie—a generally excellent student—forgets she is tasked with choosing a topic for her group’s science project, she decides the only way to maintain her good grades is to use a sample of the herb, unbeknownst to Bigdaddy. Filled with guilt, Avie tries to tell Bigdaddy but can’t find the right time. When he does find out, he wonders if he’ll ever be able to trust Avie again.Featuring an amazing ensemble of supporting characters,The Porch Down Home is a sweet depiction of family life and the trials we may experience. |
Murder by the Acre: A Measurements of Murder Mystery by Stephen B. BagleyTrouble returns to Ryton, Oklahoma, when a murderer is on the loose. Reporter Lisa Trent, her librarian boyfriend Bernard Worthington, and police chief Charles Donaldson return in Murder by the Acre, the second book of the “Measurements of Murder Mystery” series. The follow-up to Murder by Dewey Decimal, Lisa and Bernard stumble on the body of Danny Nelson—a local jeweler who is also a lecherous adulterer—while browsing through a house for sale. Lisa, Bernard, and Chief Donaldson each utilize their own resources and skills to catch the murderer: Lisa investigates as only a reporter can, Bernard uses his access to library databases, and Chief Donaldson questions a slew of possible suspects including Danny’s widow, the town mayor, the former boyfriend of one of Danny’s mistresses, and several of Danny’s business partners. When Bernard discovers a shady business deal between the victim and the possible suspects, the countdown begins. Not only must Lisa, Bernard, and Chief Donaldson catch the murderer, but they must do so while each deal with stressful personal matters as well. With a slew of possible suspects in the small fictional town of Ryton, Oklahoma, Lisa, Bernard, and Chief Donaldson battle the clock as the murderer attempts to raise the body count. The bevy of characters, their motives and opportunities will have readers at the edge of their seats wondering “Whodunit.” Note: This book is read by one of OLBPH’s favorite narrators, Nancy Cheper. |