The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

by Kim Michele Richardson

• ISBN10: 1432867113
• ISBN13: 9781432867119
• Publish Date: 7 August 2019 (first published 7 May 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Thorndike Press Large Print
• Edition: Large type / large print edition
• Format: Hardcover (Library Binding)
• Language: English

Reviews

Up until two years ago I didn’t know that the Horse Library project even existed in the early 1930’s and I also had no idea that there were “blue people” who suffered from a blood disorder making them blue. Cussy, or Bluet as she was called among the townsfolk was considered “colored” and she was the last of her kind. This is a beautiful story about Cussy, a pack horse librarian in Kentucky. It’s a story about racism, a story of wanting to “belong”, a story of the struggles of good people during this time in Eastern Kentucky. I liked that it had a mix of both the good and bad qualities of humanity. Cussy was a special girl who warmed my heart. This is a 4.5 star book for me.

[Liz (Bent Bookworm)]

~*Check out all my reviews over on The Bent Bookworm!*~

TW: death, racial prejudice, rape, sexual assault.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a fabulous book. It’s very narrow in focus, which I think is what gave the author the ability to drop her readers into 1920s backwoods Kentucky in such a believable way. The blue skinned people of Kentucky and the Pack Horse Librarian Project are both from real history and it was just a real treat to read about something so real and yet so unknown.

“I was to stay put, and exactly where they wanted to keep me put. Beneath them. Always and alone.”

I loved Cussy. She’s had the short end of the stick in life, but she hasn’t let it completely beat her down. She loves her books, and her father, and despite things really looking dim she refuses to give up hope of a better life. Cussy is nineteen years old, with blue skin, in a society that beats her down for both. Looked at as basically “worse than colored,” her father is desperate to get her married since he knows his own days are numbered, due to being a miner and afflicted with black lung. He fears for her and this is the only way he can (he thinks) be sure she is taken care of and provided for after he is gone. His plan does not work out well for Cussy, and only stirs things with the local people that already look at both of them as outcasts.

Despite all the odds against her, Cussy finds a huge solace in her job as a “book woman,” one of the several female librarians who take books to the VERY farflung mountain people. She is so passionate about literacy, and helping all her patrons better themselves. My heart hurt as she constantly ran up against prejudice, not just for her oddly-colored skin but for just being a woman. Even the local doctor (someone who is supposed to be about HELPING people) is more interested in her for his ulterior reasons of figuring out her blue skin – no matter what her thoughts on the matter.

I also really loved that eventually, Cussy meets someone who hasn’t always lived in the hollers. Just as her mind has been expanded by books even though she’s never been outside Kentucky, the stranger has both traveled (extensively, by local standards) and read, and he treats her as a person regardless of her skin or gender. There isn’t really a HEA, but there is hope, and to me that is even more important.

This book was SO important to me on a personal level. My family – on both sides – is from the hills and hollers of West Virginia. My parents were the first generation to move outside the same county for over a hundred years, outside the state EVER. I grew up all over the United States and the world but I am still extremely conscious of my Appalachian roots, and sadly very little has changed in many areas where my extended family still lives. They – we – need more people like Cussy.

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[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek through BookishFirst in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a brilliant and sometimes heartbreaking read. It probably had so much more impact due to the fact that it’s based on a true story, well, sort of. It’s inspired by real people, and a real career (the book women – librarians who would deliver books to locations too far and small for their own library).
Set in 1936, the book follows Cussy Carter, but she’s better known as Bluet. She’s a book woman – meaning that she delivers books to her far neighbors so they can have the opportunity to read (or learn to read, in some cases). She’s also blue.
This novel deals with a lot of heavy and emotional subjects. It discusses the need for people to have access to books, the consequences of censorship, and the pain of racism and segregation. All of this while telling a beautiful and ultimately uplifting tale.


Warnings: There are a few really rough moments in this novel, along with the overall heavier tones to be told. In the beginning of the novel there’s a scene that questions consent, and it comes alongside abuse. There are other abusive moments during the novel, but most of them are verbal. There are mentions of what can happen to a blue person if they acted out though, and it’s rough. This novel also covers racism and segregation.
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek was an absolutely beautiful novel. The overall message of Bluet – her determination to get books to those that have been so overlooked by life is inspiring. Her need to help others, no matter the cost to herself, was touching, as were many other moments and sentiments in this novel.
Unfortunately there were a lot of heavy tones in this novel as well. For example, not everyone was as open to the idea of learning to read as others. And even those that were meant to help increase the exposure to reading weren’t above censorship.
This novel will start a conversation: the concept of racism and segregation, and the surprise of seeing Bluet included in that treatment. It’s not something I would have ever considered – though it makes a heartbreaking amount of sense when you think about it. I’m so glad to have had it pointed out to me, and in such a well-written manner.
There were moments in this novel where my heart absolutely broke for Bluet, her family, and her friends. But there were other moments where she inspired me. And moments that were truly uplifting. The balance was perfect, and did a wonderful job of carrying the overall message of this story.


For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

While a bit predictable, I did enjoy reading this novel. The characters were ones you were willing to rally behind and support. I loved learning about this lost bit of American history.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a historical novel set in 1936 Appalachia. Author Kim Michele Richardson has a deft touch with characterization and and description. The time period and settings really shine through. This is a book based around real historical events and people. The New Deal traveling library project was designed to bring books and literacy to the most remote areas of Appalachia.

Due out 7th May 2019 on Sourcebook's Landmark imprint, it's 320 pages and available in hardback, paperback, ebook, and audioCD formats.

Reading and literacy have played such a fundamental role for me that I cannot imagine the path of my life without free access to reading material from infancy. My parents were teachers/engineers who were both lifelong readers. My mother was a librarian. I grew up in a state (WV) which, then and now, is consistently in the bottom group as regards education and literacy. For some reason, the love of reading and books was instilled in me at a very young age. I cannot imagine living in a world where books weren't readily available and the majority couldn't read and furthermore saw reading as undesirable or outright dangerous.

I personally found the book quite distressing to read in a number of places. The bald racism and brutal language as well as the sexism and misogyny (and actual violence without any real repercussions for the 'bad guys'), while certainly historically accurate, was painful to read.The book itself is very well written and plotted. It was just so jarring to read the violent interludes. There are descriptions of coerced sex, threatened sexual assault, racism, misogyny, the 'n' word (as well as 'colored'), and physical assault and violence throughout the book.

I don't think the brutality of the book detracts from the essential message; beauty and literacy are vital forces for good and change can happen.

For readers with thicker skin than mine, I'm sure this book would be a 5 star reading experience. I've absolutely no doubt it'll be (or already is) optioned for a high budget Hollywood film. For me, the detractions brought the overall enjoyment down to about 3,5 stars. Rounding up because the writing is superlative.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes