THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK by Kim M Richardson
In the depths of the depression and hidden in the deep mountains
of Kentucky was Troublesome Creek. The people were starving for both and
learning. The WPA hired women to ride packhorses or mules and take “learning”
in the form of books to the cabins hidden in the hills and hollows. Also hidden
in those hollows were the “Blue’ people. Blues suffered from a genetic abnormality
that caused their skin to range from pale blue to deep indigo. They were feared
and ostracized even more than “normal” black skinned people. Cussy is both Blue and a Book Woman.
This is
her story.
Based on the real blue Fugate family of Kentucky, this novel
ranges from terrifying to humorous to touching. The writing paints the forests
and hills in all their awe inspiring glory and all their fearful terrain. The closed away feeling of the miners and
dirt farmers is clarified by the prose. The plot is engrossing. The people are sympathetic and haunting.
Readers will learn more than they anticipated and enjoy it.
An excellent book for book groups. Appropriate for parent/middle ager (and up)
groups
5 of 5 stars
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