I  received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.


The book is set in the hills of Kentucky in the 1930's. The people are hungry and poverty stricken. The book is inspired by real people and true events. Reading about the blue mountain folk was fascinating.

19 year old Cussy is believed to be the last female of the blue mountain folk. She believes reading books leads to a better community and world. She joins the Kentucky Pack Horse Library program which was established as part of President Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration. These librarians travel by horse, boats, mule and sometimes foot to reach remote areas and homes to bring books in all types of weather conditions.

I really liked Cussy Mary Carters spirit. Some called her Bluet due to her condition as one of the Blue People of Kentucky. She remained strong through her disastrous arranged marriage as well as the prejudice and racism she faced. My heart went out to her many times throughout this book.

I found Cussy such a fascinating character. It was a beautiful and well written book. It was a wonderful tribute to those that understand the beauty and importance of books.

I loved this book from the get-go. It's funny when you move somewhere far away and the difference highlights places of your old home you never noticed before. California to me is so bright, new, and fast-paced. But my home state of Kentucky? The land is old and hard, you can feel its ancientness when you stand in the middle of a meadow and know so many others have walked that same stretch of land. Old Kaintuck. That weight of the land is so perfectly portrayed in this novel. Kentucky is its own character in a way I don't think I could've put into words myself. You just feel it from the page.

The characters you meet throughout the story are so enjoyable and well-developed. Cussy May has to be one of my new favorite protagonists. She's strong and determined but also pretty fragile. She has hopes that are often dashed, she has dreams that she denies herself. And she lives in a state of lifelong fear, that suffocating fear of being different in a land that doesn't tolerate different. She's lived such a separate existence and yet manages to love people and seek to help them. I loved reading about her route, about the lives she changed, and I can't describe to you how insanely angry I got for her throughout this story as others put her down. Nothing is easy for Cussy May in life but she doesn't expect it to be. She's surrounded by an interesting group of side characters though I have to say her father is my favorite of the group.

The prose is well-written without being stuffy. It just feels good to read as you make your way through intriguing dialogue and beautiful passages. I really enjoyed the vernacular and often found myself smiling to read something in a voice that reminds me of my childhood. The ending was superb, absolutely perfect for this story and for Cussy May herself. The story itself is so human, with all the joys and heartbreak that comes along with it, and left me feeling so hopeful. The world is still full of people who hate what is different and it all comes down to one thing: fear. This story highlights how much those people miss out on when they close themselves off and that's an awfully good lesson for the world right now.


Note: I received a free Kindle edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher Sourcebooks Landmark, and the author Kim Michele Richardson for the opportunity to do so.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is about a young woman, Cussie Mary Carter, also named Bluet, who worked for the Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky, delivering books and other reading materials to people up in the hills and mountains around Troublesome Creek in the 1930s.

Cussie is a special woman - a rare kind - her skin is blue, her blood is like chocolate. She and her father are the last people with this condition, a rare genetic disorder. Her father is a miner and they barely scrape by. The area is quite poor, with many illiterate people and high mortality rates. Cussie is very dedicated and loves her patrons, she loves to facilitate the education of people who otherwise wouldn't have had any opportunities to get reading material. Her kindness and devotion break through some people's prejudices. Of course, that's not always the case and she encounters oppression, derision and abuse on many occasions.

I had never heard of the Blue people of Kentucky, so I appreciated learning about them. The Pack Horse Library project was an amazing outreach initiative, it was great to learn about it.

While these two aspects anchored the novel, there were quite a few issues prevented my full immersion in the story. Cussie is the narrator of this novel. Nothing wrong with it, except that her voice was inconsistent - sometimes the dialogue sounded more authentic, with dialect, especially from people sounding uneducated, as they were supposed to be, but it waned and then came back as if the author suddenly remembered who her characters were so she'd throw in some colloquialisms.

Cussie was too saintly, too perfect. She sounded way too sophisticated for someone so young, who's never been to school. Had the novel been written in the third person, I probably would have been less bothered by some incongruences.

As the story progressed, the middle part was quite repetitive that involved Mary's tracking to her patrons.

The last chapters turn into full-blown soap opera, way too melodramatic for my liking.

In conclusion, this had the makings of a great historical novel, but its incongruences and the melodrama made it just an okay read for me.

I loved learning about the Blues of Kentucky. Cussy Mary was a strong, fiercely independent character who was so beautifully written. She believed in herself, her books, and the work she did bringing books to her community with her trusty Junia. Lots of discussion points as Cussy is once married, manipulated into treatment, and finally finds peace.

There were many things that I loved about this book. I adored the well-researched historical narrative to the setting for the story. It was in Depression-era, backwoods Kentucky and the protagonist is a part of a group that carries books to the rural poor of the region to encourage reading. Most of these people are desperately poor and have used the pages of any books that they had to insulate their homes. These women ride on horseback into rural communities to provide this service. This is an interesting piece of history that I did not know. Overall I enjoyed this book, although in general books involving horses are not my thing. This one is worth the read.

#TheBookWomanOfTroublesomeCreek #NetGalley

Books have the power to change lives and nowhere is this more true than the story of 19-year-old Cussy Carter. This is a story of hope and heartbreak and how fierce determination can challenge the grasp of poverty and oppression. I recommend this one on Modern Mrs Darcy's Summer Hot Books list.

Oh this book! It just got me in all the right places! I really struggled to put this down at all -- I wanted to read straight through to see what was going to happen next for Cussy Mary. In this book, Author Kim Michele Richardson paints the most exquisitely detailed picture of what life would have been like during the depression in the Kentucky hills.

I did not love the last 10% or so of the story so that takes a tiny bit off my final score, but I still strongly recommend this read -- it was fascinating and equal parts uplifting and heartbreaking.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 for this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with a DRC of this book.

he Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is written based on two historical aspects that happened. I love how Richardson took these two things and wound them together so wonderfully into a story.

A nineteen your old woman, Cussy has become known as Book Woman amongst many on her book delivery route. She has taken it upon herself to risk her life daily to get books and give an education to those not as fortunate. Her father, is not quite happy about this position and wants to find her a dowry so she can be married and have someone take care of her.

However, a dowry is hard to find for Cussy. There are not many bachelor’s left in Troublesome Creek and even though her father is offering a lot more than a normal proposal, many are not accepting after they see Cussy. She has a blue tint to her skin. A coloring unlike anyone other and many in the town fear her. Her father working in the coal mine at night, is often black from the soot so people tend to forget he is a “colored” also. Many fear they will get this disease from Cussy if she gets to close or touches them.

Cussy for the most part has accepted her coloring, even though at times she wishes she could just be white to experience the things the white women get too. Her father finally finds someone who will take his daughter as a wife, however his reasons are only to obtain the land offered as dowry and Cussy soon finds herself being treated as a worthless piece of property and defends herself to him.

Her father and the local doctor come to help her take care of the situation and in return for silence, her father has finally given in and agreed to allow the doctor to observe them and take Cussy to a larger city to get analyzed and blood drawn to find out what is causing this blue skin coloring. The first visit does not go too well and the doctor does feel bad for Cussy and how she was treated, and she uses this to her advantage to get food and other items of need for those on her route.

Cussy cares for those on her book route as they are good family and friends to her, and quite a few understand that she is not diseased but just like them, only with a blue tint to her skin. Cussy does everything she can for her book people until she is asked to do something she would have never thought would be asked of her.

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One of the women on her book route is pregnant and when she happens upon their house, she finds that the husband has hung himself. She goes inside and finds the wife early alive with the baby… she is asked to take the child as her own. The woman knows that Cussy will love it, like it should be loved. But why Cussy…. the baby has a blue tint and her father had this also but kept it well hidden. He could not stand the fact that he had just had a child with his coloring as well.

Her father, now more than ever feels he has to find Cussy a husband to care for her and now an unexpected child. Although he was upset, he soon falls in love with this baby and a most unexpected suitor is found to become Cussy’s husband, and of his own free will. However, some in town are outraged that a white would marry a colored and causes problem because this is illegal in Kentucky… does Cussy get her happy every after?

Thank you to Bookish First for the free ebook arc!

I am astonished by the amount of research authors ferret through for facts to support an idea. In THE BOOKWOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK author Kim Michele Richardson has created a story enriched by the slightly altered – literary license and all – to provide the reader with an extraordinary look into a harsh time in our history. There are many parts of American history and folklore that give you pause and this is definitely the case in THE BOOKWOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK. Kim Michele Richardson did a masterful job of recreating situations that abounded in the early 1900’s and although we might profess to be shocked there is the unspoken truth that many of these actions were all too frequent. And if we were completely honest with ourselves it is a testimony to how many times civilized society was anything but.
How many times can people excuse their violent and hurtful actions. In THE BOOKWOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK Kim Michele Richardson valiantly tries to explain some of these horrid actions as a result of misinformation or religious fears. Nonsense. People don’t always need a reason to be horrible. Indeed for some it is just their nature. For some it’s fear of the unknown. For some it’s some deep seated generations’ long hatred. For some it’s just plain meanness.
In THE BOOKWOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK Cussy Mary daily runs across all these types. Cussy Mary’s love of books instilled by her deceased mother and encouraged by her coal miner father has led to the one job that gives her otherwise dismal life a purpose and joy. She loves this job that requires arduous, at times dangerous travel through the Troublesome community of hill dwellings to reach her library patrons. Time are hard and none more difficult than for the poor souls depending on the dying existence of the coal mines. They face danger at the job, hunger and disease at home. And yet they plug on. And this is the story of Cussy Mary Carter, her father and friends.
Cussy Mary is the last of her kind. She is a colored woman. Her skin is blue, her blood is brown. Her family discriminated against her entire life. Somehow, probably because she is intelligent and well read, Cussy Mary finds joys in bringing books to her hill neighbors. Some receptive – others not so. Somehow this strange young woman manages to bridge the gap with her loving and caring manner. But unfortunately not everyone is open to her personal touch and manner. They are just too prejudice, too racist.
As the story progresses in THE BOOKWOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK we are exposed to the harsh realities. It is often a life and death struggle to survive. Hunger is rampant. Food is scarce and what these folk survive on can barely be considered sustenance. Cussy Mary’s library patrons live in awful hobbles most have no real household supplies much less food. Those that actually allow Cussy Mary on their property have become dependent on her monthly visits with books, periodicals, out of date newspapers and such. Many do not read and treasure Cussy Mary’s gift of reading to them. Surprisingly there are some that have learned how to read. But so many are frightened by these books.
And of course there are those that wouldn’t hesitate to bring harm to this young woman.
So in THE BOOKWOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK we get to know these Kentucky mountain folk quite well through the eyes of their blue woman. Our reception to these people is not always kind. But neither are they. And that is the historical basis of this book. Again brilliantly conceived by Kim Michele Richardson.

This one is definitely making my list of favorites for this year! I had no idea about the Fugates of Kentucky or the Pack Horse Librarians. I love it when reading opens my eyes to new information.

Kentucky is a state that has had its share of struggles and the author presents readers with life in Appalachia during the years of some of the most desperate times for the folks living in the hills. Set during the depression years, Cussy Mary’s father is a miner who is suffering from black lung. The conditions in the mines were awful and it created quite a bit of conflict in the mining communities. In addition to that, people were without jobs due to the depression, causing many families to go hungry.

Cussy Mary was fortunate to have her job as a Pack Horse Librarian. She loved her job and had a caring way with the people on her route. Yet, she was an outcast in the community because of a genetic condition that turned her skin blue. The hill folks on her route didn’t seem bothered by her color. They loved to see her coming with some new books and often gave her small gifts or mementos.

I enjoyed following along as she delivered books on her route, interacted with the people along the way and nurtured her relationships with those she loved and cared about. She had a very hard life, but a joyful, giving soul in spite of it.

I think the author did a wonderful job in presenting the story and look forward to reading more of her work. I think all book lovers will enjoy reading this one. It’s full of interesting Kentucky history which will appeal to historical fiction and history readers as well.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

I absolutely loved this story about a “blue” woman who works as a librarian on horseback in the mountainous “hollers” of Kentucky. Cussy Mary’s vocation is to bring literacy to the people of her area and the fact that she is shunned for being “blue” won’t stop her. I loved the voice of this character and found the storyline intriguing and interesting. I did wonder why the author chose the blue storyline and then discovered that it is based in fact — there was a succession of Kentuckians who shared a recessive gene that led to unoxygenated blood, which makes the skin appear blue. Interesting!

Highly recommended! Thanks for my e-copy to review!

Title: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

Author: Kim Michele Richardson

Chapters: 47

Pages: 308

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 5 stars

This book had me hooked as soon as I heard what it was about, librarians pack horse librarians at that, and the people of Eastern Kentucky. A group of people hit hard by the Great Depression. Cussy Carter one of the pack horse librarians are different that the rest of the people in her community, she's one of the blue people of Kentucky. But to the people on her route she is the one bright spot in their week, the book woman.

I love just about any historical fiction novel set in Kentucky, I love reading about my home state in the pages of a book. As well as learning about its history in any form. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson is full of rich detail both of setting and historical detail. The characters are easy to relate to. Though some you just know from the beginning that you are going to hate. Though other characters you’re going to laugh with, cry with and rejoice with. Have tissues handy.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction, Kentucky settings, and libraries and librarians. There is some language in this book. Though most seems to come from one character as well as some scenes of abuse and hate.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone

My thoughts
Plot and Narrative
A historical tale told in the innocent yet deep voice of the Book Woman, touches the humanity in your soul. The depth of the topic and the era it was set in makes it an interesting read by default. Cussy Mary's voice brought the story to life and you genuinely feel her joy, sorrow, pain and anger.
This is a bold story which didn't shy away from the ugliness that exists among folks who are suffering and also the ones who are set in their own hard always. It gives you insight about a culture and people in the form of a thought provoking fiction.

Characters and Conflict
While the Book Woman was the anchor to the story and indeed a lively narrator of the story itself, the book had different characters who had their own arcs in the story. Some which made you smile and some that wet your eyes. The presence of a strong plot definitely helped shape these characters but each one of them were memorable enough and had their own place in the book.

Cussy herself had a journey of her own. It was one thing to be let down by others but the biggest challenge could be the self doubts. And yet the desire to survive is what keeps the strongest going, just like the old mule Junia.
The little bit of romance was soothing and grounded to reality.

Conclusion
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a heart-felt read. It is an empowering book and a reminder of how far we have come as human beings, yet how far we need to go, in order to embrace everyone alike and be that brave new world. This is a tale of compassion and inclusion, or rather, the want for it among people.

I received an advanced reading copy of this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book combines two very little known topics, the Pack Horse Library Project and the Blue-skinned people of Kentucky. Richardson deftly represents the culture of Kentucky and the back woods of the Appalachia mountain area. She provides vivid details of the treacherous work of the coal miners, the hard scrapple lives of those trying to survive on small farms in the mountains, and those who struggled with segregation. Her use of native dialect provides authenticity to her research and writing. Overall a compelling read

I had anticipated some "darkness" to be part of the Book Woman's journey. I understood the scene being set about the poverty of the area and the lack of women's rights with the abusive marriage and the hunting of Cussy by the preacher...but the medical examination scene at the book's midpoint was truly horrific and caused me to stop reading.

4.5 stars on Goodreads

Cussy Mary is the book woman of Troublesome Creek in Kentucky.     Whilst it's clear everyone in this region has more than their fair share of issues Cussy's are different.   She's the last of her kind.  Thanks to a rare genetic condition she has blue skin.     Most of the locals treat her poorly, misunderstanding, and to some extent fearing her.     In a time when racism is rampant, her blue skin sees her treated as a coloured person and very much an outcast.        Besides her family, Cussy's one great love is books.  She's been fortunate to obtain a position as a Pack Horse Librarian delivering books, magazines and assorted reading material to the mountain people her area.   If not for this job Cussy would be friendless.  

Set in 1936, author Kim Michele Richardson did an exquisite job of seamlessly weaving details of so many issues of the time and place into her story.   Her choice of words was clever.      Where starvation was common,  words and books provided sustenance.    Not only was it a beautifully told story with some  characters to adore and others to loathe but it had another element I love.  As one of Cussy's young patrons said <i>Books’ll learn you"</i>One of the joys I get from reading is learning something new and in this case there were so many things putting me in a Googling frenzy.    From the harsh conditions of the appalachia's, the pellagra rash from starvation conditions, racism, the mountain ways and local customs, courting candles, coal mining and of course the Blue People of Kentucky.    Sure I learnt alot, but there was so much more to this book.   It was emotional, it gave hope and was just a lovely reading experience.

This endorsement by famed author Joshlyn Jackson says it perfectly for me. 

<blockquote><i>"A lush love letter to the redemptive power of books" </i> - Joshlyn Jackson <blockquote>

If you get an opportunity you should try this one.    As for me, I thank SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review which it was my pleasure to provide.

How can you not love a book about the love of books? Based on facts of both Roosevelt's 1930s WPA effort to bring books to the poorest areas (in this case, Kentucky) and on the real blue-skinned people of the area, this novel hits a home run with sensitivity, hope, and perseverance. Loved the characters and the description of the backwoods areas of the state. And the biggest plus: I learned so much about the time and place, both socially and medically.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for ARC to read and review.

I received the review copy of this book several months ago but, within the first few pages, I was so distressed for its protagonist that I had to set the book aside. I had been drawn to it both by the pack horse librarian aspect of the story but also because I have a friend from Kentucky who knew a blue person, likely from the original Fugate family.(1) All in all, it sounded like a fascinating book of historical fiction, and it is, but reader, it is an emotionally grueling read. Still, I'm glad I read it and can only recommend it. But expect heartbreak, even though the ending is very hopeful.

Logically, I suppose one can always equate the color of one's skin with one's genes and skin color is something we can seldom change and, at least to me, the whole concept of race is a stupid construct that says nothing about a person other than whether they're more prone to getting melanoma or something. The blue people of Kentucky were counted as black, and in the Depression-era Deep South, you can imagine how most black people were treated. With that in mind, cast your mind to the isolated hollers of Kentucky, where areas like Troublesome Creek were insular, hard to reach, with high levels of illiteracy. Books and school were often a luxury. The pack horse librarians, who worked for the Pack Horse Library Project funded by the WPA (Works Progress Administration), were a favorite project of Eleanor Roosevelt.(2,3)

Nineteen-year-old Cussy Mary Carter, daughter of a slowly dying coal miner, is an unforgettable heroine who sees the power of books, of literacy, to broaden people's minds, offer the solace of escape, keys to a better life, and hope for a better future. She's a brave, kind, and transcendent figure in this story. There is nothing easy in this story, however. Be prepared to cry. A lot. But read it. Really. It's worth it.

The audiobook is beautifully narrated by Katie Schorr.

(1) Read more about the Blue People here, from a reprint of a Science article.

(2) You can hear a bit more about the Pack Horse Library Project on this NPR episode here.

(3) A Smithsonian article for your further reading.

Content Warnings: rape, attempted rape, domestic violence, racist violence, child deaths, suicide, animal abuse.

I received a Digital Review Copy and a paper review copy of this book from Sourcebooks via Net Galley, in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine this scenario:
It's 1936, you live with your Pa in the Kentucky mountains; Troublesome Creek to be exact. But you're colored. Not white, not black, but...blue.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek follows the story of Cussy Mary, better known as Bluet. She one of the last surviving members of her bloodline. Many years ago, living deep in the mountainside, desperate family members made their own family... if you get what I'm saying.

Bluet and her Pa both have what appears to be blue skin. Which means they don't get the same treatment as the white folks in town, but instead have to follow the same rules as the other colored folks. They get looked at as sickly, disgusting, not quite human. It's a hard life, but that doesn't stop Cussy Mary and her pa from living and working with everyone else.

Bluet becomes a Pack Librarian for Troublesome Creek.
Pack librarians became essential when people in poor areas and off the beaten track, wanted some reading materials. Newspapers, magazines, scrapbooks, you name it, Bluet had it in her satchel. She would ride miles upon miles a week to deliver books to her patrons. They all called her Book Woman. But some of them still had to open their minds to a colored bringing them reading material. But over the course of a year, they come to love her. School children, young mothers, uptight fathers, they all wait patiently to see what the Book Woman has brought for them this week.

I absolutely loved this book.
I made a promise to myself to start reading more historical fiction this year, and I'm beyond glad I picked this up. It's a unique story, that I'm fairly certain hasn't been told before!

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is an example of historical fiction that draws you in to the era and location. Cussy is one of the blue-skinned people of Kentucky - a group of people that were viewed with mistrust. She obtains a job with the WPA Pack Horse Library project, to bring literacy to those in Appalachian Kentucky. She develops trust with her clients and brings what she can for the impoverished residents. Cussy struggles with being 'colored' and with the horrors she sees, yet realizes her inner strength to maintain her self-esteem and help others as best she can. The writing was excellent and makes me what to read other historical novels from Kim Michele Richardson. I highly recommend this book and it would be a great book club selection.