Virtual Alumni Book Club
The Radford University Alumni Association invites you to "Read with Radford" and join our Virtual Alumni Book Club. Join other Radford alumni and friends to continue to learn beyond the classroom. Share your own curiosity and engage with other members of the Radford Family through thought-provoking comments in our private group. At the end of each book, we will invite participants to dive a little deeper and join in on a zoom discussion.
We will explore one book per quarter and our alumni will help us choose our next reading selection. You may share your book suggestions with us anytime by submitting your recommendations on this online form.
Next book: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Start date: May 8, 2023
Interested? Go ahead and join our private Alumni Book Club group on Facebook!
Demon Copperhead
by Barbara Kingsolver
Set 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.
FAQs
How do I join the virtual book club?
- Step One: Log into Facebook and search for our Radford Alumni Virtual Book Club Facebook group.
- Step Two: Request to join the Radford Alumni Virtual Book Club Facebook group. Once you have requested group membership and have answered the entry questions, you will be granted access by our group moderator.
- Step Three: Start reading and join the conversation!
How frequent is the book club?
The Radford Alumni Virtual Book Club will explore four books a year, one per season. The Radford Alumni team has chosen the first book; however, future books will be selected from nominations submitted by our alumni. You may share your suggestions by submitting a recommendation form. (include web link when live) The selected text will be announced two months before discussions begin.
Do I need to read every book?
There is no formal time commitment for the book club – you can spend as much or as little time participating as you’d like. We will provide as much supplemental material as possible for each book, so everyone is able to participate, even if you don’t have time to read the book cover to cover.
How does a virtual discussion work?
Once you’re a member of the Radford Alumni Virtual Book Club Facebook group, you’ll be able to participate by commenting, posing questions to fellow readers, and responding to others' comments. The book club moderator will help lead regular discussions, but all alumni and friends are welcome to chime in with their own questions and take-aways from the book.
At the completion of each book, the Radford Alumni team will host a zoom meeting for a virtual discussion for interested participants.
Can I recommend a book for the club to read?
Of course! While we do try to feature authors from the Radford community, like faculty or alumni, we’re open to all suggestions. Use this form to submit a suggestion.
What if I still have questions?
We’re here to help! You can contact our book club moderator, Michelle, directly at mvalcourt@radford.edu or by calling 703-489-4144.