Kim Michele Richardson's The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is set deep in Kentucky coal country in 1936. Cussy Mary lives in a cabin in the woods with her father who is intent on fulfilling his wife's dying wish of finding Cussy a husband. Cussy isn't very fond of this idea because she really loves her job as a Pack Horse Librarian and married women aren't eligible for the job. Each day she loads up her saddlebags with books and rides, first a rented horse and then later a spirited mule, from home to home through the hills and "hollars" to deliver reading material to her patrons. The written word is so precious that they will take anything- months old newspapers and magazines, beat up books that have seen better days, and even handmade scrapbooks full of recipes, sewing patterns, and hunting tips. Aside from poverty and near starvation, Cussy's biggest problem is her skin color- she's blue. One of the Blue People of Kentucky, she is treated like an outcast. There are even a few people who make it their goal to kill off the Blues for being "unnatural" "a damnation" and "sinners".
I had a really hard time getting into this book. Part of it for me was the dialect in which it was written. I understand that the author was hoping to convey the voice of the people in this time and place, but I found it distracting. The story was good, but for some reason the storytelling wasn't compelling enough, even though there were a lot of good themes. I know a lot of other people have loved this book, but it just wasn't for me.
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