Troublesome Creek Reads

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is located in Troublesome Creek, Kentucky, and details the lives of the pack horse librarians, especially the life of Cussy Mary Carter.  Cussy Mary was a "colored" woman, because her skin was blue.  The era of the novel is during the Depression and this was a WPA program. What was not known was that the blue skin came from a type of anemia called methemoglobinemia, which means their blood is missing an enzyme and because of this missing enzyme, their blood was chocolate brown from lack of oxygen and their skin was blue.  But, the "Blues," as they were called were treated much like the African-Americans in the area and they were all called "Colored."

Bluet, as Cussy Mary was called, had a route near her homestead where she delivered books, stopped and read to people, and generally took care of the people on her route.  While Bluet made $28/month on her route, her father worked in the coal mines for unrealistic managers who used their employees like canaries in the mines. 

Bluet's supervisors didn't really accept her and didn't like that she had a route, but she was willing to serve in a hard area to get to.  She also had a few Blues on her route, but not very many--they were a dying breed.

Kim Michelle Richardson has written a thought-provoking book that will challenge the readers' prejudices and preconceived notions of what life has been like for people who are not like "us."

This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a library book delivered to you.

My thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.