I loved this book! I love historical fiction, and this was a setting I had never read about before. I was also not at all familiar with the blue people of Kentucky. I wasn't sure at first if it was a real thing, but it is! I also loved reading about the pack horse library, as I also had never heard of that. What an intriguing story!

I really felt for Cussy (Book Woman). She was trying so hard to make things better for those around her in the years following the Depression. Losing her own mama was a huge hardship, as was having a father who worked the mines. I loved her determination to do right, the way she served others, and how the people came to depend on her, even if she was 'colored'. I was saddened near the end, and parts of this book made me so angry with people's prejudice. But that's the mark of a good story- it gets you to feel something. And this book certainly made me feel many things. I definitely recommend it!

Just a heads-up there is a bit of swearing in this book, and a few sexual assault scenes. Nothing overly graphic. They show how ignorant and hateful people treated those they viewed as inferior.

BE STILL MY HEART! OMG! This book was so wonderful. I cried, laughed, shouted at the book. I loved this book so much, just for the character of Cussy. I loved that this book featured a "colored" person...a blue person. I did not know much about the blues of Kentucky before I read this book, so I got a good history lesson.
The fierce determination of Cussy to better herself and her community even while facing extreme prejudice made my heart rejoice.
One of the best books I have read so far in 2019.
My only drawback is that the ending felt rushed and unnatural to the story. Let Cussy be happy!

A compelling story you won’t want to miss. Well written and deeply true to its time and place. This story is based on true historical fiction. Cussy Mary“Bluet” (due to her blue skin” joins the Pack Horse Library and delivers books to the people in her county in 1936. She delivered hope in the form of books to so many. I didn’t want this book to end. I wanted to know more of the stories of the people she served. Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I thought this story had a lot of really good bits, but overall it was a little bit disjointed for me. I loved the librarian aspect of the story, and I liked getting to know some of her patrons, but that's also what made the story not quite flow for me. I enjoyed the book as a whole though, and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in Depression-era historical fiction.

A curious little tale. Felt an awful lot like Christy: a Pack Mule Librarian version. Not a bad thing. Not bad at all. I appreciated a bit of romance, bit of history, bit medical mystery. The endearing characters have stuck with me even after finishing the book.

Well written and well researched. The story of a woman in every sense of the word. This book had it all, including violence but so real. Very good book.

horror, Appalachia, prejudice, starvation, love, historical-research, historical-places-events, historical-fiction, libraries, *****
Cussy Mary Bluet is fiction. The horrors of starvation, prejudice against both blue and black skin colors, and coal mining are real. Also real is the recessant gene for methemogobinemia with the dubious studies and treatment of the 1930s, the pride and perseverance of the people of Appalachia, and the WPA Pack Horse Project librarians including the kindness of those who donated reading materials.
The story itself is of one Book Woman who suffered from a misunderstood trait, the debilitating prejudices of those around her, and the soul deep sadness that comes from being helpless to improve the dire living conditions of others. Despite all, the end of this book is uplifting.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Sourcebooks Landmark via NetGalley. Thank you!

I love historical fiction and this book did not disappoint me! I had never heard of ‘blue people’ of Kentucky and I am glad I learned about them. Also I learned about the Pack Horse librarians that were a part of Roosevelt’s New Deal Acts.

This book was enjoyable to read, with enough action and a bit of suspense to keep me totally interested to find out what would happen to Bluet and her family and friends. Ms. Richardson wrote a story that painted a vivid picture of a place of beauty, poverty and sadly, the ugliness of prejudice.

This book would make a good selection for book clubs and for younger readers who are interested in the history of an important time in our history.

Wow! In this heart-tugging novel, I learned about two things from history that I hadn't known about: the legendary blue-skinned people of Appalachia and the Pack Horse Project which came out of the Works Progress Administration. The blue-skinned people were people who had a genetic enzyme deficiency which made their blood brown and their skin to appear blue. In the novel, many of the inhabitants of Troublesome Creek are prejudiced against the Blues and treat them as bad as or worse than black people. Yet there are many others in the area who are able to look beyond protagonist Cussy Mary's skin color and welcome her when she comes bearing library materials. People in the Appalachian hills were not only starving for food, they were starving for knowledge and looked forward to the Book Woman's arrival. I fell in love with Cussy Mary right away because she believed in herself, was independent, and was kind to all, even those who shunned her. My heart broke for her and for those of her patrons who were struggling just to have enough food to live. In her notes, author Kim Michele Richardson says: "Reader, this is one of the most important books I've written to date. Dear in all ways, loved in a million more." I could feel the love she had for her story and her characters and I could not put this book down. I hope Reese Witherspoon hears about this book for her book club because it really is a standout. Thank you to Netgalley for supplying me with the ARC edition of this remarkable novel.

Disclaimer: I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher, Sourcebooks. This book is coming out on May 7, 2019, in a trade paperback.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek begins in 1936, in deep woods, high mountains Kentucky, and follows 19-year-old Cussy Carter, the last blue-skinned girl. Called "Bluet" and often reviled for her skin, Cussy joins the Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky, riding her mule to distant and often dangerous farmsteads to bring books and magazines to the people, many of whom learn to read on the materials. Along the way, she encounters some of the best and worst of human nature, and the people slowly learn to accept Cussy as more than just blue-cursed, but as the only person that understands that these books are the only escape from their impoverished and hardened lives.

This book is a journey for Cussy as well, whose whole life has centered on the colour of her skin, making hard scrabble Kentucky life even harder. And yet, her and her pa have always had food on the table, a luxury that many of the families along her book route do not have. Cussy has been persecuted her entire life, and only now can learn to love herself for what she is - a fierce and brave librarian that brings a love of literacy wherever she goes.

"I leaned into the raw spring wind feeling the spirit of books bursting in my saddlebags - the life climbing into my bones."

What I Loved

•The historical aspect. I have to admit, when I first picked this book up, I didn't read the full description, and at first thought the author arbitrarily created blue people as an extended allegory to racism in the US. Much to my surprise and chagrin, I realized that these people actually existed.

Upon realizing that this was true, I began to read this with a much more critical, historical eye, and this made me love it all the more. Cussy's story of being a mounted librarian, while maybe not completely accurate, comes directly from FDR's literacy program, and the mounted librarians existed for almost a decade in this time. Even if Cussy herself wasn't real, these brave women (and a couple of men!) are wonderfully honoured in this book.

•The Writing. Richardson is, simply put, a great writer. She makes you engaged with the characters, the harshly unforgiving, but still beautiful Kentucky Appalachians, and the plight of these people whose only crime was being born poor.

"That there was medicine for Henry and all the Henrys out there, for the hunger and hungry, didn't seem right. Not much of the pox or influenza sickness in Kentucky as much as there was the hunger disease right now. That there were stores full of the cure for hunger kept me awake with that special kind of anger that comes from helplessness."

What I Didn't Love

•Triggers. I am not normally the kind of reader that gets affected by violence, rape, etc, but Cussy is violated extremely early in the book, and I honestly almost put it down after that. This is partially due to the violence in the scene itself, and partially due to the fact that I felt it unnecessary. The author does not really use her trauma in any meaningful way later in the book, and the only thing it did do was set a scene of what marriage looked like in rural regions in the 1930s and the toll it took on women. In other places, there is a great deal of suffering, including an attempted rape, a suicide, and children dying of hunger. While these things all existed and should be acknowledged, I felt that it took me a little away from the beauty of the book and the core premise of the love of reading.

•The Pacing. Another big deterrent to reading this book was that the first 11 or so pages were just slow and did not add a lot of movement to the plot except to show the town, the mountains, and various characters that play bigger roles later. the prose was beautiful and Cussy has a strong voice, but getting through the first part of the book was rough at times.

Conclusion

I genuinely liked this book, and found it to be one of the most interesting and informative things I have read this year so far. While it has some pacing issues and hard scenes to get through, it is overall a worthy read and felt extremely relevant given today's racially divided rhetoric. I highly recommend for people who love books about books and readers, are interested in historical fiction, or need a good cry. 3.5 out of 5 raised to 4 specifically for the subject matter.

I enjoyed this historical fiction based in Kentucky mining country in the 1930s. The story follows Cussy, the last blue person and a book woman as she navigates this difficult time and place, bringing books to her neighbors. I enjoyed her story and learning a bit about the time in that area.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek expertly tackles the weighty themes of racism, poverty, hunger, and illiteracy in a gritty, earthy, yet charming story about the coal mining country of Kentucky in the 1930s. Cussy, the protagonist, whose name is derived from a place in France, rides her cantankerous but loyal mule into the remote reaches of Troublesome Creek to deliver books to library patrons. Cussy tells her own endearing story as she battles cruelty, hardship, and other countless troubles in the aptly named backwoods community. The author, Kim Michele Richardson, has created a story so deep with emotion and rich in meaning, that the story will find a special place in the reader’s heart. I will forever count Cussy, as one of my all-time favorite characters in literature. One word of warning to the reader—be prepared with Kleenex at hand. The dialogue is so well-written the reader will likely become engrossed in the story and shed tears of sadness and joy.

What a privilege and an honor to read and review this beautiful book in advance of its release. Thank you to the publishers and to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This was a heavy read for me. Too much information. It was all interesting but too much all at once. As both an educator and medical laboratory student before becoming a teacher the history was interesting. My only complaint was there was too much information to make the story flow well for me. It was too much textbook information for me. All in all of the facts had been woven in less closely I would have enjoyed it more.

This book will capture your attention, break your heart, have you crying and mad enough to spit all at the same time. Cussy Mary is a "blue," one of a small group of people with a blue tinge to their skin; she even has the nickname "Bluet." She also is one of the Pack Horse Library Project workers. Being a Book Woman is a bit extraordinary, but Cussy Mary enjoys providing books to her patrons scattered up and down the hollers despite the natural hazards as well as the danger from mean-spirited residents who distrust anyone different.

As you read, you will see the natural beauty that surrounds the harsh living conditions of the miners and their families. The fact that they are trying to survive the miserable economy of the 1930s makes the outlook even more bleak. Modern readers will be amazed at the home remedies Cussy Mary's neighbors try and the edibles they manage to forage from the woods around them.

But the most enjoyable thing to see is Bluet's spirit, her inner strength despite all the sorrows and hardships, and the hope for a better future for her will keep you reading until the last page.

If you enjoy historical fiction with resilient heroines, you must read this book.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is both an intriguing and endearing novel..I had never heard about the rare condition that Cussy suffers from and was not sure was it simply created by the author for interest purposes or did it really exist. I was so interested I looked it up myself and was astonished to read more about the rare condition. I really enjoyed the plot of the novel and found Cussy to be one of the most likeable and believable characters I've encountered in a long time. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and look forward to reading more novels from the author in the future.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC.

Having recently finished “The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek” by Kim Michele Richardson, I am happy to have had the chance for the preview; thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark!

Genetics, geography, gumption and a great love of books… filled the pages of this book; a part of American history that was never known to me until Ms. Richardson enlightened me throughout the pages of this inspiring and memorable story.

Discrimination abounds in the isolated and struggling community of Troublesome Creek. Despite the rare blood disorder that tinges her skin blue and has caused her prejudice from many her entire life, traveling librarian, Cussy Mary Carter, fills her days with a determination and dedication to bring books to the neighbors and patrons of the Pack Horse Library Project along her route in the Eastern Kentucky Appalachian mountains. The vivid story of these characters and their impoverished lives, filled with incredible sadness and amazing perseverance, have remained with me after the last page.

Cussy Mary Carter was arguably the last "blue skinned person" in Troublesome Creek, Kentucky. The year, 1936. Living in a backwoods, one-room log house, life was a struggle for the nineteen year old and her pa, a coal miner. Pa lit a "courting candle", intent upon making sure Cussy "will knot". Suitors would come and go wanting "a surety" that their progeny would not be blue. Cussy, nicknamed "Bluet", was subjected to taunts, prejudice and continuous ridicule due to her cobalt-blue skin color. Her rare condition called methemoglobinemia caused decreased oxygenation in the blood producing blue skin. She was socially isolated, treated like an outcast.

President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal included educational programs with the aim of bringing books to a poverty stricken populace living in hollers and backwoods. The Pack Horse Library was born. Single women could apply to deliver books, newspapers and magazines by horse, mule, boat and on foot. Cussy Mary aka Bluet knew that it was unlikely she would find a suitor. "I didn't have myself an escape until I'd gotten the precious book route". Bluet rode through dangerous passes, dark hollers, and forded creeks "toting a pannier full of books" carried by her trusty old mule, Junia.

"Book Woman" another moniker for Cussy Mary, delivered hope to children and adults starving for learning. Children were "...as hungry for the stories in those books as they were for the food that always seemed sparse in this real land". Book Woman was unaware of the positive impact she had on library patrons on her book route. Her acts of kindness were in direct contrast to the reception she received at her once monthly visit to library headquarters. She arrived in town wearing a big brimmed bonnet to escape the stares and pointed fingers of the townsfolk.

"The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek" by Kim Michele Richardson is a magnificent, well written work of historical fiction. As a child, I remember my delight when the "Book Bus" visited my school. We could examine the shelved books and choose two books from the lending library. Dial back to the 1930's. Pack Horse Librarians like Cussy Mary were true pioneers addressing illiteracy. "Folks here are hungry...folks tell me the books ease their burdens...". Kudos to Kim Michele Richardson for a 5* star read I highly recommend.

Thank you SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek".

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a historical novel set in 1936 Appalachia. Author Kim Michele Richardson has a deft touch with characterization and and description. The time period and settings really shine through. This is a book based around real historical events and people. The New Deal traveling library project was designed to bring books and literacy to the most remote areas of Appalachia.

Due out 7th May 2019 on Sourcebook's Landmark imprint, it's 320 pages and available in hardback, paperback, ebook, and audioCD formats.

Reading and literacy have played such a fundamental role for me that I cannot imagine the path of my life without free access to reading material from infancy. My parents were teachers/engineers who were both lifelong readers. My mother was a librarian. I grew up in a state (WV) which, then and now, is consistently in the bottom group as regards education and literacy. For some reason, the love of reading and books was instilled in me at a very young age. I cannot imagine living in a world where books weren't readily available and the majority couldn't read and furthermore saw reading as undesirable or outright dangerous.

I personally found the book quite distressing to read in a number of places. The bald racism and brutal language as well as the sexism and misogyny (and actual violence without any real repercussions for the 'bad guys'), while certainly historically accurate, was painful to read.The book itself is very well written and plotted. It was just so jarring to read the violent interludes. There are descriptions of coerced sex, threatened sexual assault, racism, misogyny, the 'n' word (as well as 'colored'), and physical assault and violence throughout the book.

I don't think the brutality of the book detracts from the essential message; beauty and literacy are vital forces for good and change can happen.

For readers with thicker skin than mine, I'm sure this book would be a 5 star reading experience. I've absolutely no doubt it'll be (or already is) optioned for a high budget Hollywood film. For me, the detractions brought the overall enjoyment down to about 3,5 stars. Rounding up because the writing is superlative.

From start to finish, I enjoyed every page of this wonderful novel! I adore a book that not only entertains me, but also educates me and The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek definitely attained both! I have never heard of the blue-skinned people of Kentucky and I found them so interesting! So much so, I actually did online research while reading this novel because I was so fascinated! Trust me when I say everyone should read this 5 star gem- I cannot stop telling all my friends and family that The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a must, must read! I have never read Kim Michel Richardson before and I am so excited to dive into her prior books!

This is a fascinating story combining facts about the blue people of Kentucky and the Pack Horse Library Program. I loved the character, Cussy Mary. She was such a strong, caring person who loved books and had such a deep desire to share her love. She also loved her patrons and wanted to feed them with not only knowledge but food that they desperately needed.
Much research was put in this book to make the story come to life. The strange superstitions that the Appalachian believed and the judgemental views of people added to the story. Having never heard of the blood disorder methemoglobinemia, I was glad that the author's note was very informative. Highly recommended!