I spent l a lot of time on Wikipedia googling things in this book and found that: 1)There really were blue-skinned people in Kentucky (caused by a rare condition called methemoglobinemia). 2) The Pack Horse Library Project was formed to create jobs for women and bring books to people of the Appalachias.
I liked this book a whole lot more once I knew it was based on real life situations. However, it did take me about 100 pages to get really into. Up until that point Cussy Mary was just delivering books to people and I wasn't really sure where the story was going. The beginning was just introducing the readers to Cussy Mary's life and people on her book route. After 100 pages the book picked up. You saw the discrimination Cussy Mary faced and the troubles of the poor communities in the Appalachia. All that sounds super depressing, but it's mixed with warmth and generosity from good people.
I liked this book a whole lot more once I knew it was based on real life situations. However, it did take me about 100 pages to get really into. Up until that point Cussy Mary was just delivering books to people and I wasn't really sure where the story was going. The beginning was just introducing the readers to Cussy Mary's life and people on her book route. After 100 pages the book picked up. You saw the discrimination Cussy Mary faced and the troubles of the poor communities in the Appalachia. All that sounds super depressing, but it's mixed with warmth and generosity from good people.