Fascinating & Heartbreaking
I found this story both fascinating and heartwrenching. I had never heard of the blue people of Kentucky or methemoglobinemia, which I found interesting. However, these people with such a unique medical condition just fueled an already prejudicial and racist society in Kentucky. This story focuses on one such person, named Cussy Mary or Bluet, who won the hearts of many of the hill folk in Troublesome Creek by delivering reading materials as her job as a Pack Horse Librarian. She shared her love of literature, but also tried to teach the people how different reading material could be useful in their homes, that these reading materials could be methods of educating people how to hunt, garden, cook, sew, etc. Cussy Mary put her heart and soul into trying to enrich these people's lives and also save them from starvation and other ailments that were common in those parts.
Impoverishment and starvation were not the only hardships. If the men had jobs, it was most likely in the mines. Cussy Mary would worry about her father's safety in the mines, a job that contained long, grueling work hours and life-risking tasks.
(Trigger Warnings for violence and sexual assault.) Cussy Mary's every day life was a terrifying one. She was mistreated both physically and verbally by many townsfolk because of the color of her skin. I feared for her safety through the whole book as she traveled the path delivering the library materials all alone. I absolutely adored her mule (the one blessing she got out of her miserable marriage), who did try to protect her on multiple occasions.
The book displays so many harsh realities of poverty, starvation, vanity, racism and hate, but it also shares a story of the power of literature, which can bring hope to the suffering, and the loving bond that connects the librarian to her patrons and friends, who don't see the color of her skin but see her simply as the Book Woman. I loved this story so much. It was sweet and powerful. It made me cry soooo much, but despite this, I highly recommend reading it.
Impoverishment and starvation were not the only hardships. If the men had jobs, it was most likely in the mines. Cussy Mary would worry about her father's safety in the mines, a job that contained long, grueling work hours and life-risking tasks.
(Trigger Warnings for violence and sexual assault.) Cussy Mary's every day life was a terrifying one. She was mistreated both physically and verbally by many townsfolk because of the color of her skin. I feared for her safety through the whole book as she traveled the path delivering the library materials all alone. I absolutely adored her mule (the one blessing she got out of her miserable marriage), who did try to protect her on multiple occasions.
The book displays so many harsh realities of poverty, starvation, vanity, racism and hate, but it also shares a story of the power of literature, which can bring hope to the suffering, and the loving bond that connects the librarian to her patrons and friends, who don't see the color of her skin but see her simply as the Book Woman. I loved this story so much. It was sweet and powerful. It made me cry soooo much, but despite this, I highly recommend reading it.