The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

Do you know about the blue people of Kentucky?  How about the Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project (KPHKP)?  Richardson's book adeptly combines these two stories into a compelling picture of an isolated people in the 1930's. 

Cussy appears to be the last of her kind, a blue, meaning she has congenital methemoglobinemia, a condition resulting in blue skin.  When Cussy gets excited, or blushes, she turns purple.  We now know that this condition is genetic, but for Cussy, being blue meant being feared, hated, ridiculed, and subjected to harsh medical tests and treatments.  

Cussy fights hard to get a job with the KPHLP, a program initiated by President Roosevelt.  Residents of Troublesome Creek have next to nothing and they live in near isolation in the Appalachian Mountains. Many cannot read, yet they wait for the weekly delivery made by Cussy, the Book Woman.  They love looking at the pictures, having Cussy read to them, or using the outdated newspapers to paper their walls. These librarians provide their own means of transportation at their own expense.  They use pack animals, canoe and any other means possible to deliver books across streams, through narrow mountain paths and thick woods, often while being watched, pursued, and sometimes attacked by both man and beast. 

Some characters angered me-  the unscrupulous vicar, the racist head of library services, the arrogant doctor who played God with people's lives, the wife beating husbands. On the other hand there's Cussy' hard working miner father who, knowing that his job will shorten his life, wants nothing more than to find a husband for his daughter.  He also knows that being a blue will complicate matters. There are children who welcome Cussy and her books with unbridled excitement, and generous folks who donate newspapers, magazines and books to be shared.  

Although the story ends, the book does not.  Richardson adds informative chapters on the history of the blue people, and photos from the KPHLP archives.

Thanks for stopping by.

Oh....if you haven't seen the movie "The Green Book" check it out.  Sad.  Disturbing...and yet joyful.