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A Novel
by Kim Michele Richardson
Book Reviewed by: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.
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 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.
Kentucky, 1936
The librarian and her mule spotted it at the same time. The creature's ears shot up, and it came to a stop so sudden its front hooves skidded out, the pannier slipping off, spilling out the librarian's books. An eddy of dirt and debris lifted, stinging the woman's eyes. The mule struggled to look upward, backward, anywhere other than at the thing in front of it.
The book woman couldn't keep her eyes off the spectacle as she shortened the reins and clamped her legs against the mule's sides. Again, she prodded her mount. Baring tall, sassing teeth, the beast lift-ed its muzzle into the balsam--sweetened air, the quavering brays blis-tering the sleepy mountain.
The woman stiffened, drawing the reins in tighter. In front of her, a body swayed back and forth below the fat branch from which it hung. A rope, collared tight around the neck, creaked from the strain of its weight. A kettle of turkey buzzards circled above, dipping their ugly, naked heads toward the lifeless ...
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Historical Fiction Favs: The Island of Missing Trees (Elif Shafak) There Are Rivers in the Sky (Elif Shafak) A Gentleman in Moscow (Amor Towles) The Island of Sea Women (Lisa See) The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek (Kim Michele Richardson) All the Light You Cannot See (Anthony Doerr) Take My Han...
-Gabi_J
Here are some of the comments posted about The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek in our legacy forum.
You can see the full discussion here.
Cussy has to deal with the loss of many loved ones in a very short amount of time. How do you think she handles her grief? Which loss was the most difficult for you to read?
Young Henry’s death was the hardest for me, but Cussy’s strength and perseverance made it easier for me. I know that living when and how and where she did, this was not unusual for her - her interaction and rapport with the family and their situation... - susiej
How did the WPA affect the people in this particular remote area and across the country? Do you think a program similar to the WPA would be a good thing today?
WPA projects in my opinion brought a lot of literacy to the people isolated in the mountains. The projects also preserved a lot of history that would have bene forgotten otherwise. Would love to see something like this today. It would give employment... - alycet
How do you think Cussy's father feels after he marries her off to an abusive man? Why do you think he agrees to Charlie Frazier's proposal in the first place?
I think Cussy’s father felt that he had failed utterly to fulfill what he believed to be his obligation as a parent: to see that Cussy was safe and protected after he died. He knew that her life would be even more difficult as a single woman in ... - Elizabeth Marie
How does Cussy’s social isolation affect her relationships with others?
I think she was willing to put herself out to the patrons on her route because of her own isolation. She became their lifeline. - scgirl
How has a librarian or booklover impacted your life?
My father was my book reader model. He read to us every night even when we got old enough to read to ourselves. In addition he would read to us in the car before books on tape were even thought of. My mom would drive and dad would read on long ... - scgirl
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek puts its own offbeat spin not just on classic romance but also crime, action and adventure, suspense and, of course, historical fiction—all with a flawed but sympathetic lead at its center. In addition to spotlighting a fascinating phenomenon in book history, it is itself a book lover's book, a celebration of stories and genres, an exercise in reading nostalgia...continued
Full Review
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(Reviewed by Elisabeth Cook).
Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Almost Sisters
Emotionally resonant and unforgettable, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a lush love letter to the redemptive power of books. Karen Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of Liar Temptress Soldier Spy
A timeless and significant tale about poverty, intolerance and how books can bring hope and light to even the darkest pocket of history. Ron Rash, New York Times bestselling author of One Foot in Eden and Serena
Fascinating…impressive storytelling. Sara Gruen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants
[A] hauntingly atmospheric love letter to the first mobile library in Kentucky and the fierce, brave packhorse librarians who wove their way from shack to shack dispensing literacy, hope, and--just as importantly--a compassionate human connection.
The WPA (Works Progress Administration) established the Pack Horse Library Project in Eastern Kentucky during the Great Depression. The program, which was championed by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, employed librarians who delivered books and other reading materials to patrons on horseback, working to both create employment and improve literacy in the remote area. The Pack Horse Library Project ran from the mid-1930s through 1943.
Eastern Kentucky had been hit hard by the Depression along with other areas of the U.S., and by the early '30s was struggling with a number of additional disadvantages: It lacked the basic infrastructure and resources available elsewhere, such as adequate roads and electricity. Around one-third of the ...
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