The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, by Kim Michele Richardson is one of my favorite books. As many of you know, I read a lot so this is saying something. It is historical fiction at it’s best.
Summary:
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is about the WPA Pack Horse Library Project of 1935. The WPA, or Works Progress Administration program was established in 1935. FDR issued executive order 7034, established the Works Progress Administration in an effort to help the unemployed. The Pack Horse Library Project, just one of these programs, delivered books to remote regions in the Appalachian Mountains between 1935 and 1943.
In this book, we meet Cussy Mary Carter, known to others as Bluet. She is the last living female of the rare Blue People ancestry of Kentucky. She is an outcast. Most are afraid of her. Many will not go near her.
She is an only child, being brought up by her father after her mother dies. Her father works in the local coal mine and is unhealthy. Likewise, they are very poor. Cussy needs to learn to support herself and her father.
She becomes a Pack Horse Librarian at the age of nineteen. Consequently, she rides a mule and delivers reading materials to the impoverished hill people living in a remote area of Eastern Kentucky. Hers is a dangerous route. She typically travels 18 – 20 miles a day, usually over very rugged territory.
Through courage and strength, she not only brings books but also hope and joy to those who desperately need something positive in their lives.
My thoughts:
I was drawn to this book because it is a historical fiction book, which I love. Also, it is about the first mobile library in rural Kentucky, a part of Roosevelt’s Pack Horse Library Project. This took place in the 1930s. As a retired librarian, I figured that this book was a perfect fit for me.
It is so good that I believe it is a perfect fit for everyone. There is one part, near the beginning that is hard to read. Please plow through this section – it is integral to the story and does not repeat itself.
It is also about something I knew nothing about, the blue-skinned people of Kentucky. They were also referred to as Blue Fugates of Kentucky. The Blue Fugates had an extremely rare skin condition called methemoglobinemia, which literally turned their skin blue.
You can tell that this book was well researched. The author, Kim Richardson, spent 5 years researching. She lived Appalachia for a year, learning their particular language variances. Kim visited coal-mining towns learning their history. She also researched the flora, the music and the food of this area. She visited doctors, even speaking with a hematologist to learn about congenital methemoglobinemia, the technical name for these blue-skinned people.
I also read another book about the Kentucky Pack Horse Librarians, The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes. I found the subject very interesting but thought the book was just okay. After reading The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek I would recommend that over Moyes’ book, even if you are a diehard fan of Jojo Moyes.
My rating = 5 out of 5 stars.
Reviews:
Something about the author:
- Author’s web site – Kim Michele Richardson
- Interview with the author – From Reading Group Guides
- Interview With an Author: Kim Michelle Richardson – Los Angeles Public Library
Book discussion questions:
Information on The Kentucky Pack Horse Project:
Information on blue-skinned people:
- ABC News – Health segment on blue-skinned people
- Story of the Blue People of Kentucky – article from MysteriesRUnsolved