The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
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Web ID: 16778396Emotional
I've been wanting to read this for a while now. Finally got around to it. Wow was this a kind of sweet, kind of sad, but very emotional read. From the characters, the history, the setting and of course the main character and her interactions with her library patrons. Really good read indeed.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Good book
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson is a deeply moving and evocative historical novel set in the Appalachian mountains during the 1930s. The story follows Cussy Mary Carter, a "book woman" of the Pack Horse Library Project, a real-life initiative that brought books and reading materials to the remote, impoverished communities of Eastern Kentucky. Cussy Mary, born with blue skin due to a rare genetic condition called methemoglobinemia, faces both the beauty and prejudice of her world as she delivers books to isolated homes in the region. Richardson’s novel is both a poignant exploration of the power of literature and an insightful commentary on the themes of racism, isolation, and resilience. Cussy Mary’s story is a testament to the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity. As she struggles with societal rejection due to her unique condition, she finds solace in the books she delivers, using her role as a librarian to build connections, offer hope, and foster a love of reading in a place where opportunities are scarce. The writing is rich and vivid, with the harsh beauty of the Kentucky mountains and the grit of the community painted in stark, often heartbreaking detail. Richardson brings the history of the Pack Horse Library Project to life, showing how books were a lifeline for people living in extreme poverty, providing them not only with education but with a sense of connection to a larger world. The novel also highlights the cultural richness of the region, from its folklore and traditions to the complexities of its people. Cussy Mary is a remarkable protagonist, full of courage, compassion, and quiet determination. Her personal journey is deeply emotional, as she navigates her role as a "book woman," her struggle with her own identity, and her interactions with the diverse characters she encounters along her travels. The book is filled with memorable secondary characters—some kind and supportive, others prejudiced and hostile—but all contributing to the richness of Cussy Mary’s world. One of the standout themes of the book is the transformative power of books and education. Cussy Mary’s quiet activism, bringing literacy and knowledge to a community that is often overlooked, serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of access to information and culture. Through her eyes, readers gain a greater appreciation for the simple, yet profound impact that books can have on lives. While the novel is deeply moving, it is also not without its darker moments. The prejudices Cussy Mary faces, both due to her condition and as a woman in a male-dominated society, are stark and painful, but they are depicted with empathy and realism. The narrative doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of life in Appalachia during this time period, including poverty, discrimination, and the challenges of survival.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Harsh and fascinating, presented with empathy
This novel opens a window into a world in which the written word provides a lifeline of hope and opportunity in the midst of abject poverty, starvation and prejudice. The setting is Eastern Kentucky/Appalachia during the Depression, when food is a precious commodity and a human life is often treated as less valuable than a pack animal. The author presents a number of challenging interrelated topics deftly and with great empathy. Our guide to this world is Cussy Mary, the last of a family line of blue-skinned people, and we experience this very harsh world through her eyes: the generosity of one desperately hungry person toward another, the fierce sense of pride and dignity when one has almost nothing else, and the narrow-mindedness and arbitrary brutality of prejudice. We learn about the unique history of the blue-skinned people and the additional hardships they face. The author also celebrates the extraordinary Pack Horse Library Program, showing us both the danger the brave Book Women undertook, but also the community's intense desire for the books and everything they represent, including a way of connecting people and offering an escape from reality. This book works on many levels for me. The author presents many ideas around discrimination, social inequality and poverty in a way that emerges seamlessly from the historical world she is describing, but is also accessible and tangible to a modern audience grappling with these same dilemmas, and she does it with respect for both her audience and her characters. I heartily recommend this novel.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great Reading
What a great story. I can’t find a thing wrong with it. It isn’t all filled with good things. It’s also full of poverty-stricken people and racism that we all hope would go away. Although you might think of these atrocities in the big city, this story is set in the 1930’s right in the heart of the Appalachia’s. Cussy Mary, a 19-year-old young lady, takes care of her father who works in the mines. It’s just the two of them, and they struggle to even keep food on the table. Cussy Mary takes on a book delivery job. It was The Pack Horse Librarian Project, established as part of President Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration. It was exactly as it sounds…ladies delivering books via horses to people all over the hills and trails. Some of the trails were quite treacherous to travel. Cussy Mary used a sure-footed cantankerous old mule to get to some of the families and people on her route. She had people that could not wait to see her no matter the kind of book she had for them and yet others were afraid of her because she was what people in Kentucky called the “Blues”. Her skin was blue, and the prejudice just as real as any other you are familiar with. Somehow, I’m sure you can already tell I enjoyed this story. There’s another aspect to this little bit of historical fiction that was very important to me. I kept running to my computer to see if all these things were true, and they were. Roosevelt’s Project, the Pack Horse Librarians, and unfortunately, the poverty and prejudice. What a joy to read an enjoyable story of fiction and soak up all of those facts at the same time. Well-written and great to read. originally posted at long and short reviews
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson closely resembles The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes. Both novels cover the rugged life of Kentucky traveling librarians. These women worked as librarians for $28.00 a month and were required to provide or rent their own transportation such as mule or donkeys. The mountain terrain hindered the journey to the readers who struggled to survive hunger and the trials of life. Richardson goes further into the story with the introduction of the blue-skinned Kentuckians that came from France with a genetic problem that translated to blue skin. This abnormality created these people to be classified as “colored”. The story briefly touches on the miscegenation laws in Kentucky and how the blue-skinned people fall into this law. Richardson describes the terrible conditions of the community where very few of the people actually had food to eat every day. And the mining companies took advantage of these squalid conditions.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Hypocrisy at Its Finest
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek was a huge disappointment! The author undermined her own theme of highlighting prejudices against those who are viably different by relying on the outdated stereotype of fat people as villains. Richardson claims she relates to marginalized people. Really? Then why pick on fat folk, a highly marginalized group in modern society. The author proports to be an advocate for women. Yet her ultimate put down for her ample antagonist was to have a doctor tell her to watch her figure or no man will. Does she really not understand how cutting those words are to her readers? Most tragic, Richardson says she is a domestic violence prevention advocate. How does she not know poor body image is major weapon in the war against women that destroys self-esteem in a way that enables abuse??? I don't know if this second rate publisher was secretly paid to fat bash by the weight loss industry (a practice that happens all the time) or the author is battling personal issues herself and sorely in need of a guilt free cookie. I do know that she is a complete hypocrite. How disingenuous to write a novel about the small minds of rural KY while you yourself are actively perpetuating modern prejudices. This book was published in 2019, when hackneyed, worn out tropes about fat women are simply not acceptable! Lazy, incompetent writing. I am glad I only paid .25cents for this book on a bargain rack and will NEVER read anything else by her again. As long as we are speaking in stereotypes, looks like Kim Michele Richardson, along with Mitch McConnel, are proving that what still comes out of Kentucky is mostly backward thinking!
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Full of tropes and inaccuracies
It seems to me the topics of the blue-skinned people and the WPA Pack Horse Librarians would have been interesting enough without adding the somewhat predictable underlying themes of this novel. Regarding the historical content, I hope that it’s better researched than the odd bit here and there that I noted WAS inaccurate- like Brave New World being a “clean” novel (has the author even read this book?) and the letter from the farmer saying his cow had just given birth and he wanted her to do it again in 3 months which is physically impossible- but served the tired old trope of the stupid, cruel southern man. I knew from the very first time Cussy felt sick on the medicine that she wouldn’t continue to take the medicine that reversed her methemoglobinemia (so she could be her “true self” of course) and kept the baby (which in real life would have died without a wet nurse ). I was surprised she didn’t just sling Honey across her back and continue on her rounds that way! Really, it was laughable but makes for a great summer book group read, I suppose, as long as you take it all with a grain- or an entire Margarita rim- of salt.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
2 stars
This book was beauly written and is an amazing story. I have personal reasons for only giving it two stars (concerning the content of the book). But overall it is a quality tale to fall into. The characters seemed so real and deep. It's a raw, authentic type of tale. And I learned history from it too. Content includes: Harsh language. Mature topics. Suitable for: Ages 18 & up
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com