The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

Locations
Call Number: Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Richardson, Kim Michele, Fiction / Richardson, Kim
On Shelf At: Malletts Creek Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Richardson, Kim Michele	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Richardson, Kim	4-week checkout	Due 05-16-2024
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Richardson, Kim Michele	4-week checkout	Due 05-05-2024
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Richardson, Kim Michele	4-week checkout	Due 05-24-2024
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Richardson, Kim Michele	4-week checkout	Due 05-12-2024

Includes reading group guide and a conversation with the author.
"Cussy Mary Carter is the last of her kind, her skin the color of a blue damselfly in these dusty hills. But that doesn't mean she's got nothing to offer. As a member of the Pack Horse Library Project, Cussy delivers books to the hill folk of Troublesome, hoping to spread learning in these desperate times. But not everyone is so keen on Cussy's family or the Library Project, and the hardscrabble Kentuckians are quick to blame a Blue for any trouble in their small town. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a story of raw courage, fierce strength, and one woman's determination to bring a little bit of hope to the darkly hollers"-- Provided by publisher.
1936. Tucked deep into the woods of Troublesome Creek, KY, lives blue-skinned Cussy Carter, the last living female of the rare Blue People ancestry. She joins Roosevelt's Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky and becomes a traveling librarian, riding across slippery creek beds and up treacherous mountains on her mule to deliver books and other reading material to the impoverished hill people of Eastern Kentucky. Along her route, Cussy faces doubters at every turn, but is determined to bring the joy of books to the hardscrabble Kentuckians. -- Adapted from back cover.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Library Journal Review
Booklist Review
Publishers Weekly Review
Summary / Annotation
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Not for me. submitted by smgop on August 27, 2020, 8:55am The description of the story intrigued me; in reality, it was much rougher than I'd expected. I attempted to persevere; ultimately I just couldn't do it.

Fascinating read submitted by LVDS on September 2, 2020, 6:23pm Wonderful story, historical fiction set in the 1930's in rural Kentucky.

Trigger warnings for sexual and medical violence submitted by Susan4Pax -prev. sueij- on June 15, 2021, 10:18pm Some books should come with ratings or warnings, like movies do. I came into this book expecting it to be about libraries, Appalachia, and the genetic minority who were the Blue people. However, early on I nearly had to put the book down, because I encountered sexual violence, medical violence, and medical sexual violence depicted in explicit and graphic ways. After the #MeToo movement has come to light, it should be clear that surprising humans, and especially women, with unexpected sexual violence is not generally a great idea.

To be clear, the book is very well done, and had I known what was coming, I would have read it anyway… just with better walls and more care. The author has done their homework in every detail (plants? mules? coal mines? all there is overly researched- gotta-tell-you-everything-they-know detail). But the characters are interesting and compelling. The storyline is new and different, and I learned while enjoying this fascinating bit of US history.

Worth your time (even if a bit heavy-handed on the “Look what I learned and have to tell you about!”), but know what you are getting into. Trigger warnings for sexual violence, medical violence, and medical sexual violence.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek submitted by leighsprauer on June 4, 2022, 7:37pm The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek could have been a good book. There's so much to learn! Like about the WPA-era horseback librarians who were hired to bring books into Appalachia! And about the rare genetic blood disorder that caused an entire extended family in Kentucky to appear to have blue skin! And about the interplay of race, class, and poverty in rural America during the Depression! Fascinating stuff!
But sadly this book was a failure. Bland writing, a disjointed narrative, a predictable plot, and an unsatisfying and nonsensical ending made this feel like a waste of time. (Although one good point: it was a quick read, so not much time wasted.)

Book Club Read submitted by bcartm01 on June 17, 2022, 9:36pm I read this book as part of a book club and really enjoyed discussing it with a group of women. There is also a great historical aspect that you can research and I overall really enjoyed it.