This book tells the story of Cussy Carter, a blue lady, who is a rural Kentucky packhorse librarian in the 1930’s. The Pack Horse Library Project was established by President Franklin D Roosevelt in 1935 to create jobs for women and to bring books into Appalachia. Racism ran deep in Appalachia and this was a serious problem for Cussy, because she had blue skin, a condition brought about by a rare genetic disorder that causes a blue pigmentation. It took a very strong woman and the power of books to deal with this prejudice. It’s an incredible story of true grit, much pain and tenderness. This is an incredibly book. I love it. I highly recommend it. Advance reader copy was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK by Kim Michele Richardson is an atmospheric and haunting story of poverty, prejudice, heartbreak and hope that captured my heart from beginning to end. Set deep in the hollers of Troublesome Creek, Kentucky in the 1930s, the author tells the story of Cussy Mary Carter, a member of the courageous and dedicated Pack Horse Librarians that delivered books, magazines and other reading material to the impoverished residents of the Eastern Kentucky hills. Often risking her own safety, the Book Woman rode her mule over treacherous paths, going from shack to shack to bring a brief but welcome respite from the daily struggles to survive. Cussy Mary has the additional affliction of having blue skin due to inherited genetic defect. Because of her skin color, she is feared and ostracized as a “colored”. Called Bluet by the locals, she is often subjected to ridicule and torment, yet she never gives up on her mission to bring literacy to her poor community. Kim Michele Richardson brings the characters and the setting to life with her beautiful writing and vivid descriptions. That the story was based on the true historical characters and events made it even more compelling. I loved this novel of human courage, resilience and compassion and I highly recommend it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy.

I love reading books about books! This was an enjoyable, nicely researched historical novel set in 1930s Appalachia.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity.

Thank you to Net Galley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I'd never read anything by this author before, and I am SO grateful to Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to find her. I loved this book. The language is well done, which is difficulty with the book being set in a different time period and an area with heavy inflections and manner of speaking. Being a book lover, to know this is based on actual people who made sure that books were available in the poorest areas of the Kentucky hills. I've also been interested in the blue people, so that was an added bonus to the book, and I loved that the author gives additional information at the end of the book. I highly recommend this one.

The Woman of Troublesome Creek follows a very determined Cussy Mary Carter as she rides the Kentucky hill country as one of President Roosevelt's Pack Horse Librarians in the 1930's. Through Cussy's library route, we meet a number of her patrons - getting a glimpse of the simple joys and the unending sorrow of life during the depression. We also get a look at how different people deal with what they fear and don't understand - as Cussy's blue skin and the prejudice she faces because of it are key parts of the story. This is an interesting and well-researched book that covers the Pack Horse Library Project, coal mining, rural poverty, and the rare disease, methemoglobinemia. It's a sad, tough read at times - but Cussy's strength, determination, and passion for books carries the reader through.

There aren’t enough stars for this book! The Book Women of Troublesome Creek tells the story of Cussy Carter, a rural Kentucky packhorse librarian, in the 1930s. It is a story of grace, tenderness, pain, and grit. Cussy carries a rare genetic disorder that results in blue pigmentation. Not an easy thing at any time, but especially difficult with the deep racial prejudices of the south in the ’30s. The author, Kim Michele Richardson is able to portray this era in a way that lets you feel not only its cruel harshness but also the hope and strength of its people. Be prepared to shed a few tears. Her writing is poetic and beautiful. The book is truly a gift that you will stay with you long after you have finished it! I can not recommend it enough. I was honored to receive a free copy of this book from NetGalley and the Publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark in exchange for an honest review.

Back in the good old/bad old days when money was scarce but people still believed in getting books into the hands of everyone who wanted to read them, Roosevelt instituted the Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project. The town of Troublesome Creek got books along with traveling librarian Cussy Carter. Not everyone in town is thrilled with the idea of getting books and they are even more suspicious of Cussy, a woman whose skin is an unusual shade…of blue. It takes a strong woman and the power of books to overcome prejudice, luckily, Cussy is just the woman for the job.

I had never heard of the blue skinned people of Kentucky until I read this book (the coloring is caused by a faulty gene), but I loved how relevent the book is even today as we continue to live in a world that hates what it fears and fears what it does not understand