The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
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 The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
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American History > Modern Age > American History
RECOMMENDED BY DOLLY PARTON IN PEOPLE MAGAZINE!
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A USA TODAY BESTSELLER
A LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER
A PBS BOOK PICK
The bestselling historical fiction novel from Kim Michele Richardson is a novel following Cussy Mary, a packhorse librarian, and her quest to bring books to the Appalachian community she loves, perfect for readers of William Kent Kreuger and Lisa Wingate. The perfect addition to your next book club!
The hardscrabble folks of Troublesome Creek have to scrap for everything—everything except books, that is. Thanks to Roosevelt's Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, Troublesome's got its very own traveling librarian, Cussy Mary Carter.
Cussy's not only a book woman, however, she's also the last of her kind, her skin a shade of blue unlike most anyone else. Not everyone is keen on Cussy's family or the Library Project, and a Blue is often blamed for any whiff of trouble. If Cussy wants to bring the joy of books to the hill folks, she's going to have to confront prejudice as old as the Appalachias and suspicion as deep as the holler.
Inspired by the true blue-skinned people of Kentucky and the brave and dedicated Kentucky Pack Horse library service of the 1930s, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a story of raw courage, fierce strength, and one woman's belief that books can carry us anywhere—even back home.
Emily's Review
This was such an emotional and impactful read. I had never heard of the Blue people of Appalachia before, and I found that part of the story to be fascinating. It led me down a rabbit trail because I needed to know more.
This is a story about Cussy, nicknamed Bluet by the people in her town. She loves books and wants nothing more than to spend her life working as a Book Woman, one of the packhorse librarians who hand-delivered books to people who otherwise would have never had access to the library. But life for a blue is difficult, as they are treated as second-class citizens by the community. The amount of bigotry and hate thrown at Cussy the people in her community was horrible. This is not a happy story, though it does end on a bit of a hopeful note.
I loved Cussy's determination and will. She is a fantastic heroine and I loved her perspective on life. Despite the hardships she faced, she was always so positive and optimistic. I loved how much she cared about everyone. I enjoyed seeing her relationships with all the people along her route, and particularly, her relationship with her father was quite beautiful.
This is a story I'll be thinking about long after I've closed the book.
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