Read this when
David Copperfield
Beaten, sent away, working in a warehouse at ten. Then he walked to Dover and found the aunt who changed everything. 🪁
Who it's for
David narrates his own life, so the reader experiences Murdstone's beatings, the loss of his mother and the child-labour years through the eyes of the boy and the reflection of the grown man.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Charles Dickens's novel, serialized from May 1849 to November 1850, is narrated by David himself and follows his life from infancy to adulthood. After a happy early childhood in Blunderstone, he suffers under his harsh stepfather, Mr Murdstone, is put to work in a factory, and eventually finds a home with his great-aunt Betsey Trotwood before growing up to become an author.
Where to find it
Public domain in the US; free on Project Gutenberg and Standard Ebooks, with free LibriVox audiobooks. Also widely in print (Penguin Classics, Oxford World's Classics and others), in libraries (Libby/.
Before you start
Heads up: Child abuse and a mother's death.
Age: Ages 12+
And if it is a fear you would dispel, the seat of that fear is in your heart and not in the hand of the feared.Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, “On Freedom”
