#BookReview The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson @writernwaiting @sbkslandmark

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In 1936, tucked deep into the woods of Troublesome Creek, KY, lives blue-skinned 19-year-old Cussy Carter, the last living female of the rare Blue People ancestry. The lonely young Appalachian woman joins the historical Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky and becomes a librarian, riding across slippery creek beds and up treacherous mountains on her faithful mule to deliver books and other reading material to the impoverished hill people of Eastern Kentucky.

Along her dangerous route, Cussy, known to the mountain folk as Bluet, confronts those suspicious of her damselfly-blue skin and the government's new book program. She befriends hardscrabble and complex fellow Kentuckians, and is fiercely determined to bring comfort and joy, instill literacy, and give to those who have nothing, a bookly respite, a fleeting retreat to faraway lands.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a powerful message about how the written word affects people--a story of hope and heartbreak, raw courage and strength splintered with poverty and oppression, and one woman's chances beyond the darkly hollows. Inspired by the true and historical blue-skinned people of Kentucky and the brave and dedicated Kentucky Pack Horse library service, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek showcases a bold and unique tale of the Pack horse Librarians in literary novels — a story of fierce strength and one woman's belief that books can carry us anywhere — even back home.

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I read The Sisters of Glass Ferry by Kim Michele Richardson some years ago and I loved that book. So, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek was a title that I was really looking forward to reading. I was intrigued by the fact that the main character, Cussy Carter, is the last living female of the rare Blue People ancestry. Also, she worked on the Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky which of course intrigued me since anything concerning books and libraries are something I love to read about. An aspect I found interesting in this book is the racism towards the blue people, although nothing surprising when you think about it. She's counted as a colored just like anyone else that isn't white. It's saddening to read about, especially when she is given a cure, not a permanent cure. But, still, for a little while can she feel "normal". Alas, it leaves her terribly ill.

As for her job as a librarian. That part intrigued me how she with her trusty mule traveled long distances to lend books to people. How they loved getting new books, all the colorful folks that live in the mountains. And her comes Cussy, an outcast and they are looking forward to the books she brings. It's a book that sometimes is very sad to read not to mention that it sometimes made me angry, but it sure is a book that I recommend reading!

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy for an honest review through Edelweiss!