Category Archives: Books

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A thought on Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

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I have had the great good fortune of being lent a hardback copy of this novel. It is a big book – some 550 pages in this edition – and I am a little over halfway through, the reason being that I only manage a few pages a day.

Why so slow? Lack of time is the main reason, plus the distractions drawing me otherwards. However, I treasure the few daily pages I have with Demon Copperhead, and have no desire to leave him to his fate unread. His resiliance and his voice draw me behind him, as he navigates his way into and through worlds I know little about.

Today, I sneaked a few extra pages, and opened the book at the end of the chapter where I had left it. As I turned to the start of the next I read these opening lines:

“Where does the road to ruin start? That’s the point of getting all this down, I’m told. To get the handle on some choice you made. Or was made for you. By the bullies that curdled your heart’s milk and honey, or the ones that went before and curdled theirs.”

Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver – opening lines of Chapter 41 – (Faber and Faber)

I’m looking forward to finding out the remainder of the story. I fear it may not end well for Demon Copperhead.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023

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Postcard book review: Marcus Rashford, You Can Do It

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How to find your voice and make a difference

Here is another book that I have enjoyed reading. This time it was with a young footballer. Together we learned so much from this book, thanks especially to the way it encouraged discussion about the ideas being suggested.

This is the first Marcus Rashford book I have read, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for books that might interest children whose main enthusiasm is football. The content is told from Marcus Rashford’s point of view, highlighting lessons he’s learned on his journey to becoming one of England’s greatest strikers. The other insights in it are around how to develop your voice off the football pitch. It is written with respect and understanding, both of the challenges faced by those caught in less affluent parts of society, and of the value of support given, particularly around food.

The writing is clear, and there are black and white graphics on every page to help break up the text.

(The book is a Macmillan Children’s Book, published in 2022)

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023

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Postcard book review: Muhammad Najem, War Reporter

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This book is a true story about the impact of the war in Syria on a young boy, Muhammad Najem, who grew up beneath the bombs. The circumstances are awful, but even though this graphic memoir never hides from that reality, the way it is told left me thinking not about damage, but about the power of the hope and courage that grow in the roots of loving families.

The story begins at the outbreak of the Syrian War in 2011. Muhammad is just eight years old, and has two big brothers and both parents still alive. Much will change. We are shown everything through Muhammad’s eyes, seeing the horrors unfold to the point where, aged 15, he feels compelled to record the damage on a mobile and send it out into the world via social media.

“I want to show the world what is happening in Syria.”

Muhammad’s posts are seen. I can remember seeing a few on Twitter, and I struggled to believe then that they were real. In America the same reaction was happening, but one young reporter, Nora Neus, decided to contact Muhammad. She followed his posts closely, and over the years since has got to know the family and their lives, eventually working with Muhammad, and the illustrator, Julie Robine, to produce this book.

I had the great privilege of reading the book with a young reader whose family are from Syria. At the time I was worried that it might bring the trauma too close, but it did not. Rather there was joy at being able to read about ‘home’, and a hunger for the intimate family details, particularly the love story that emerges at the end.

I think this is such a powerful book, mainly because of the way it manages to bring us so close to Muhammad and his family. We live the bombardments beside them, and then, right at the end, just in case we might be doubting the reality of any of it, there are photographs confirming what we have been shown.

How did I come across this book? Nora Neus, is the daughter of a friend of mine.

The first edition of the book was published in 2022 by Little Brown and Company (New York and Boston)

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023