THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!THE USA TODAY BESTSELLER!
The hardscrabble folks of Troublesome Creek have to scrap for everything—everything except books, that is. Thanks to Roosevelt’s Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, Troublesome’s got its very own traveling librarian, Cussy Mary Carter.
Cussy’s not only a book woman, however, she’s also the last of her kind, her skin a shade of blue unlike … kind, her skin a shade of blue unlike most anyone else. Not everyone is keen on Cussy’s family or the Library Project, and a Blue is often blamed for any whiff of trouble. If Cussy wants to bring the joy of books to the hill folks, she’s going to have to confront prejudice as old as the Appalachias and suspicion as deep as the holler.
Inspired by the true blue-skinned people of Kentucky and the brave and dedicated Kentucky Pack Horse library service of the 1930s, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a story of raw courage, fierce strength, and one woman’s belief that books can carry us anywhere—even back home.
Fans of historical fiction will fall in love with this bestselling novel’s:
more
Beautifully written book where I felt I was right there with the characters.
Great book, I was checking facts at the very beginning, and found all was true! A part of our history that I was totally unaware of.
I like the history and have read at least two books about these “book women” which Roosevelts encouraged. Good history too.
I was interested in reading this book because the backdrop is the Depression-era attempt to bring books to people in the back woods of Kentucky, a program I’d not been aware of before. Apparently, Eleanor Roosevelt was the driving force behind the Kentucky Pack Horse program. Big city libraries donated excess books and shipped them to Kentucky. Local women were hired, all unmarried, to distribute books to the hill people. Because of the lack of roads, the book women rode horses or mules with panniers filled with books over difficult mountain trails. (They were the first mobile librarians!) What a fascinating little known piece of women’s history.
Richardson combines the book woman history with the story of the Blue People of Kentucky, something else I knew nothing about. Apparently a man named Fugate with blue skin arrived in the area from France in the late 1700’s and married a woman with white skin. Four of their seven children were also blue. Scientists now know that the condition is caused by a rare gene combination. Apparently Mrs. Fugate carried a recessive gene for the condition. The Blues were considered Colored People and were treated little or no better than African Americans.
The protagonist is Cussy Mary Carter, a blue woman. In her travels, she faces ignorance and danger from some, but wins others over with her book deliveries. The local doctor wants to study her in hopes of curing her. The preacher wants to drive the devil out of her. And one of her patrons actually thinks she’s pretty. Her journey shows us the best and worst of human nature.
I loved this book; I’m so glad I read it. Beautifully written, Richardson’s love and knowledge of Appalachia shines through, as does her love of books. I recommend the book for anyone who loves books and libraries!
5 Stars. Cussy Mary’s story—a poignant combination of Christy & A Tree Grows in Brooklyn—stole my heart!
Desperately sad to read of the lives of women in Appalachia during the depression. Poverty and brutality do not destroy these strong women, but I found it hard to read about them despite rays of optimism.
This is a fascinating story! So interesting and inspiring while also heart-wrenching. I haven’t cried while reading in a very long time, but a few parts of this story brought real tears and sobs. Overall, however, the story is uplifting and informative, bringing to life a society we rarely think about or can even imagine. Absolutely could not put it down.
This is an awesome book that everyone should read. I knew nothing about the blue people of Kentucky. I highly recommend this book.
I loved it.
The characters are really engaging and you are drawn to see what comes next. I learned a great deal about the mountain folks of Kentucky and I had never heard of the blue people before. I highly recommend it.
I could not get into this book
I loved this book. I had never heard of the the Blue People of Kentucky, and I was fascinated.
This is historical fiction; however, there is many facts to back up a lot of the story. Interesting because it details brave exploits of these women on horseback to deliver to the poor people of Kentucky.
I am currently reading this book about the blue people of Kentucky. It spurred me to see if they really existed, which they did. It is a very interesting read.
Sad story, but a good look into lives of the Blue People if Kentucky.
This book is wonderful! I would recommend it highly.
Enjoyed the historical fiction narrative.
Fascinating to read about two “legends” that really existed. Well written and engrossing.
This was a wonderful book that was tragic, moving,realistic and historic, I did not realize that the horse back “book mobiles” even existed much less was the brain child of Elanor Roosevelt (a woman I greatly admire) thank you for this enlightening read.
Interesting historical fiction. I learned about a project I had not known and about a rare medical condition. The prejudice faced by the protagonist was eye opening.