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:
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I loved it
One of my favorite books of the year – interesting new-to-me information great story, easy to read,
A fascinating glimpse into a little corner of America unknown to many of us, where a hard- scrabble existence brings out the best and sometimes the worst in the people who live there.
I really enjoyed the book and Kim Richardson really made it come to life!
Great story and excellent narration. Informative about both the book women and the “blue people.”
Absolutely loved this book!
Delightful book
Loved this book! I learned so much about the time period and the south.
Great story, but difficult to read in some places.
Excellent! Learned so much and appreciated the beautiful writing.
When a novel tells a great story and teaches me something, that’s a winning combination!
Just a really good, solid read with wonderful characters.
This is an amazing piece of historical fiction. I found it very informative as I knew very little about the book program and had never heard about the “blue” people of Kentucky. I found it interesting to read about the prejudice that these people of “color” faced. The storyline was believable and the main character, Cussy was amazing and strong and showed much courage as she faced her many obstacles. Since I am a lover of books, I was impressed with her love for the books she delivered to her neighbors in Appalachia.
It might have made a good magazine article about the central theme of the book women. The “Blue people” theme was not well developed, and the love story didn’t hold together at all.
While it may not qualify as great literature, I really enjoyed this well-researched book and learned so much I didn’t know about. I am in awe of the brave women who rode the Pack Library routes. I had never heard of the Blue people of Kentucky and was fascinated to learn about methemoglobinemia. The hardships of life back in the mountains were dramatically illustrated. All in all, an edifying, if heartbreaking, read.
I cared greatly about the book woman, a traveling librarian,and the people she served. Set in the hills of Kentucky during the depression she delivered books by muleback. Great story based on facts. I had never heard of the “blue people” before . Highly recommended.
1936 Kentucky. Sad living if u are a blue. Learned something new.
I like informative stories and this one fit the billon many levels!
Learned about the blue people in Kentucky. Excellent character development. Loved learning about a part of history that I never knew about. The racism and poverty in our country.
I really liked this book. .It was an easy read but interesting. I learned from it and felt compassion for the people. The characters were very well described.