What becomes possible when we resist simple stories?

A three-session Humanities Unbound reading and discussion series with Humanities New York and Liverpool Public Library

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, Liverpool Public Library’s selected text for Humanities Unbound, follows Damon Fields, known as Demon Copperhead, from childhood into young adulthood in the mountains of southern Appalachia. The novel moves through poverty, foster care, family loss, education, sports, addiction, recovery, and the effects of the opioid crisis. But Demon’s story is not simply an account of hardship. Told in his own sharp and observant voice, the novel continually complicates the ways we might categorize or explain his life—and perhaps how we understand one another.

Across three conversations, participants will return to the novel and give its questions time to develop. We’ll read closely and consider different interpretations, exploring how place, circumstance, identity, and belonging shape the ways we understand ourselves and one another. We’ll also consider what happens when complicated experiences are reduced to familiar categories or simplified stories.

Wednesdays, November 18, December 2, and December 16, 2026
6:00–7:30 p.m.
Liverpool Public Library
310 Tulip Street, Liverpool, NY 13088

Advance registration required with Liverpool Public Library. Space is limited to 15 participants. Complimentary copies of Demon Copperhead will be provided to registered participants by Liverpool Public Library.