Barbara Kingsolver Thinks Urban Liberals Have It All Wrong on Appalachia
About this episode
Ezra Klein asks Pulitzer-winning novelist Barbara Kingsolver about the urban-rural antagonism at the heart of her novel 'Demon Copperhead.' Kingsolver argues urban liberals misunderstand Appalachia, reducing it to caricature, and describes the pain of being treated as an outsider in the Kentucky community she calls home. She criticizes parachute journalism and the collapse of local news, arguing national media covers rural America only as a political curiosity rather than a real place. On the opioid epidemic, she insists addiction is a disease rather than a moral failing and discusses the toll on foster care systems. She is skeptical of top-down solutions imposed by outsiders, including well-meaning liberals. They also discuss small family farms, corporate consolidation of agriculture, the craft of writing, and the books she recommends.