Welcome Friends! Thanks for joining u/fixtheblue, u/bluebelle236, u/Meia_Ang and me on this Big Winter read and our 2nd discussion check in for Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead.

For the schedule click here. For the marginalia click here.

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SUMMARY

(Taken liberally from https://www.gradesaver.com)

Demon has periodic visits with his mother at a McDonald’s, supervised by Miss Barks. The visits are often awkward, as she expresses a hope for their future that Demon does not share, in his current miserable state. Demon provides an overview of work at the tobacco farm, describing the hard work and long hours. At first he isn’t told to wear gloves and becomes violently ill from the nicotine exposure, throwing up for hours after.

Demon befriends a boy named Tommy at the farm. He says repeatedly that Tommy is incredibly sweet and selfless. He spends the summer working the farm, feeling incredibly exhausted by the effort. He notices Tommy walking over to two mounds on the edge of the field. Tommy lays flowers on the mounds. He says that before he goes to bed that night, he asks Tommy what those mounds are. Tommy tells him that he doesn't know where his parents are buried, so every time he is in a new foster home, he makes graves for them.

In the next section, Demon continues to talk about the hard labor he performs on the farm. He details the physical toll it takes on his body and depicts the dull monotony of the work. Shortly after this, on his birthday, Miss Barks calls him into her office. He says he is not expecting much in the way of a celebration, as his mom rarely plans anything. No one at school or on the farm remembers or knows. He speaks to Miss Barks and she tells him his mom has died; she overdosed on OxyContin.

The funeral is held at a Baptist Church that Stoner has chosen. Demon is heartbroken and also feels like a number of things are wrong with the funeral. The Peggots are kind to him and help him get ready for the funeral. He attends the ceremony and then is driven over to the burial. He is struck by the fact that he has not only lost his mother, but also his unborn baby brother. He also notes that right around this time, OxyContin was hitting the pharmaceutical market and setting off the first wave of opioid addiction through the South.

Demon has one last lunch with Stoner at McDonald's. They have nothing to talk about and it is filled with awkward silences. He realizes that Stoner isn't being harsh or argumentative because he couldn't care less what happens to him. He can tell that Stoner knows their time together is over and that his life will be starting over soon. Demon spends some time at the Peggots' house. Emmy becomes fixated on a local news story about a murder. She is upset because an entire family was killed but the baby was left for dead. She says she thinks constantly about the baby and can't get it out of her head.

Emmy and Demon share a tender moment where she comforts him about losing his mom and not having a family. They start spending more time together. Demon learns that her father was killed in some kind of hunting accident and afterward her mom was unable to care for her. This resulted in her being taken in by the Peggots. She expresses hope that they might adopt him, but he is unsure. June gets Demon coloring markers for Christmas, much to his happy surprise. Demon asks about the possibility of adoption but Mrs. Peggot says that they couldn't take him in. He is embarrassed and upset.

Demon moves in with a new foster family, the McCobbs. They are constantly stressed about money. Mr. McCobb comes up with a number of schemes in the hopes of turning a quick profit. Demon feels fairly uncomfortable with them, as they are hesitant to share things with him. He finds they are watching him with a nanny cam in his room.

Next week I will lead us through Chapter 21-29. See you all in the comments.