So good!!! The Book Woman, Cussy Mary, is a packhorse librarian in 1930's Kentucky, braving all kinds of weather and personal difficulties to bring literacy and information to her neighbors in the Appalachian hills. She does it for the money, for the love of reading...and despite being a feared and despised "Blue"--due to a genetic condition, her skin is literally blue. Over the course of the story she faces prejudice for being "colored", blame for maladies she has nothing to do with, and no man wants to court her besides. Then she meets a loner on a mountain top by the name of Lovett, and her life is never the same.

Such an enjoyable read, for the historical aspects of the WPA, the "Blue" people, and the abject poverty of Appalachia during the Depression. Highly recommended!

'The goodwill died on my tongue.'

Throughout time there are certain constants, for example ignorance and cruelty. This novel is an ode to the pack-horse Librarians who rode their way throughout Kentucky inspiring people of all ages to read. Richardson takes this historical story and blends it with a tale of the blue skinned people, ostracized cruelly for their differences. Nineteen-year-old Cussy Carter of Troublesome Creek, Kentucky spends her days delivering books to the people of the mountains, her Dad’s fervent wish and promise to his dying wife was that Cussy would find respectability. She needs to stop carrying on with book deliveries, now that he is making money in the mine again, killing himself more like. He wants nothing more than security for his girl, and nothing can offer that for a girl in 1936 better than marriage. “I could barely meet someone’s eyes for fear my color would betray my sensibilities.” A young woman who can turn ‘blue as a damselfly’ when blushing, heir to a strange condition that began with a French great-grandpa, there is no chance any respectable white man would ever stoop to marry her. Upon her deliveries she encounters many who shun and shame her, but if this program can get even a blue like Cussy reading, well it promises to spread literacy to anyone!

Nicknamed Bluet by the locals, her father begins sending suitors her way, the most horrifying of all is when she is courted by the kin of Pastor Vester Frazier. Pastor Vester, the preacher that decides who bears the mark of the devil, and ‘chases them out by baptizing those sinners down in the cold, fast waters of Troublesome Creek’, sometimes ending in life or death! Surely her father can’t possible think anyone tied to the Frazier family can save her! This can’t bode well.

The pastor isn’t the only one she has to fear, and her fierce nature has her risking life and limb just to share her love of books with folks. Of course not everyone is thrilled about their wives or children reading, not when there is work to be done, no time for idleness yet clever girl that she is, Cussy finds ways to keep those hungry for books well fed, despite protestations from fathers. Devoted to her deliveries upon her stubborn mule Junia, she meets Jackson Lovett who surprises her with his kind intelligence, but surely she can’t dare hope to ever mean anything to him, can she? Love isn’t meant for a “Bluet” like her. Town isn’t anymore welcoming, “I always felt like a thief sneaking into town”, with the “NO COLOREDS” signs banning her from socializing her life is that of a spectator, filled with longing to take part in gatherings like the Pie Bake Dances. Color could be catching, right? Then there is the doctor who wants to poke, prod, take samples from her to figure out what is causing her strange affliction. Her people hidden for so long up in them mountains, fear of persecution and worse, should she trust him as she is the last? Are her blue folks on the brink of extinction?

This isn’t a happy read, not at all but it remains true to the torment being different rains down on a life. It is exposure of the worst sort of ignorance, which we all know in human beings is completely infinite. Maybe there is a cure out there that can make anyone who is ‘different’ look just like you and me, sadly there is no cure for cruelty, nor human stupidity when a mind seems bent on it. Cussy is full of fight and hope, but the reality of the times made even the fiercest of men and women break. It is a painful Appalachian tale, based on real historical happenings. This intelligent sad little novel piqued my curiosity about the blue people of Kentucky and the genetic component behind it. People always fear that which they don’t understand. The novel reads true, the language made me feel I too was among the folks of Troublesome Creek and I was engaged until the very end. For anyone who loves Appalachian Fiction, Historical Fiction or strange medical conditions this has it all.

Publication Date: May 7, 2019

'Sourcebooks Landmark

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebook Landmark for allowing me to read this book. It is a beautiful story of the power of books and friendship. In the Kentucky Appalachian Mountains, Cussy Mary Carter, was one of the Book Women, who delivered printed materials to the isolated people in the hills. The books provided comfort and knowledge to these people, as well as having a visitor to bring them news and friendship. Cussy also received the friendship she didn’t find in town due to her congenital disease, which caused her skin to be blue. This book takes us into the lives of the hill people and the struggles Cussy faces in doing her job, with the help of her mule, who protects her from all kinds of harm. I read this book in one sitting. I loved it.

I loved this book about the struggles of a young woman in Appalachia during the Great Depression. The character of Book Woman was up against so many obstacles and still lived her life with compassion and love for others. I was really touched by her story. I highly recommend this book.

Cussy Mary Carter is a strong, determined young woman who faces prejudice because of the color of her skin and is treated as an untouchable. She becomes a librarian in the Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky and in her role as librarian, she interacts with her patrons, fellow mountain folks, and develops a strong bond with some of them. Concerned about their welfare, when she is able to, she provides food and home medicine to them and visits them when they are ill.

I found this to be a fascinating story and learned a lot about life in rural Kentucky. The poverty is overwhelming, yet the desire to read books, scrap books, or newspapers was very strong. I had never heard of the Blue People of Kentucky or how they were treated so poorly by others. Also, it was intriguing to learn about the Pack Horse Library Project that provided reading materials so desperately desired by the poor folk of rural Kentucky.

I highly recommend this book. Read it to find out about Cussy Mary’s life and how she tenaciously tries to better her life and the lives of the people of Troublesome Creek. She faces many challenges along the way. Read it to see how she deals with various situations regarding her blue skin, especially the disheartening plight that threatens her future happiness. Just read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for providing me with a free ARC of this spellbinding novel.

People were hired to deliver library books to families in rural areas of Appalachia in Kentucky, from 1935-1943 through the Pack Horse Library Project. This was part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration (WPA). The woman in this story rides a mule in rural Kentucky to deliver books. Her name is Cussy Mary, but people call her “the book woman”.
The author has done an amazing job bringing Cussy Mary to life! I loved seeing the difference a few books and magazines made to the dirt-poor people, many who didn’t even know how to read, but they learned. The Project also paid those who delivered books, so it helped people desperate to feed families. The pay was $28.00 per month.
I love books! That is why I review books, so other people will be encouraged to read good books. I was so taken by the title, "Book Woman of Troublesome Creek"; I had to read this book!
Just as I knew I would, I loved reading this book! It is based on basic true events, and the story about Cussy Mary is added in. The author has made her poor, afraid, and unaccepted by most of her neighbors and co-workers. But she gains confidence because of her work delivering books. She becomes an advocate for the families on her book delivery route.
If you like to read fiction, then you should read this book, because it is one of the best fiction books I have read! If you enjoy historical fiction about women, then you absolutely must read this book! This is also an awesome book to encourage people to pick up another book to read, because it shows how books make such a difference in our lives, and teach us so much. I am so glad I read this book, and learned about the Pack Horse Library Project, and the lives of people in Kentucky in Appalachia. I hope you will decide to read this book too.

(I will be sharing my review on my blog (http://FaithCounts.Wordpress.com) closer to the publication date in May.)

I super wanted to like this book. I adore reading more than most things, but this just didn’t so it for me. It was so long and drawn out. I felt bored for most of the book. Tragic.

I only knew a little about the pack horse library and the book women of the Appalachia.so reading this book gave me a whole new insight into the struggles of these women and later men who took books to their patrons. Then add to that the story of the "Blue people" and their struggles made this book even more emotional for me. There were times I could not put the book down and times when I could hardly read what was about to happen. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to preview this book and thank you Kim Michele Richardson for bringing this story to life.

This novel is beautifully written. It's a touching novel about a Book Woman near a small town center called Troublesome Creek . Her story is inspiring. and her dedication very touching. My heart went out to her many times during this book, and I felt a strong bond with her.

Photos of the pack librarians of the early 20th century have been all over library social media recently, so I was pleased to find a book about the service. While this story includes the pack service as a central element, the real story is Book Woman Cussy Mary, a member of Blue Fugate family of Kentucky. Not only is Cussy Mary a woman attempting to develop a career as a librarian, she is also different because of the blue color of her skin. I was prompted to research the Blue Fugates because I’d never heard of them before this, and was fascinated to learn about how the family evolved.

The story here is hard to read, given the horrible living conditions of people in the Kentucky hills, but especially for women and those who are different. I was surprised and unsettled by the violence against protagonist Cussy Mary so early in the book, and had to actually put it down for awhile to process what happened to her. I did pick up again and finish the book, finding comfort in the fact that Cussy Mary eventually ends up okay, but the path there was so filled with bigotry and violence that I would warn readers who are triggered by violence against women and minorities to be cautious reading this.

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.