I almost didn’t read this, as I read The Giver of Stars in December and knew they were both based on stories of book women in Kentucky during the 1930s. However, they each bring a different perspective and are both worth reading!
President Roosevelt’s plan to increase jobs in rural areas included the Pack Horse Library Project. Cussy, the protagonist, was one of the book women who rode to distribute books to rural areas of Kentucky.
I learned a new historical fact from this book. Cussy is one of the Blue People of Kentucky (a real group of people with blue skin in this area). This was due to a congenital form of methemoglobinemia that turns the skin blue. It is almost exclusively due to inbreeding, causing even more stigma related to their appearance. These people were treated as colored people and were shunned from society, often leading to more inbreeding and increasing the problem.
I love her love for literature and desire to share that with others.
President Roosevelt’s plan to increase jobs in rural areas included the Pack Horse Library Project. Cussy, the protagonist, was one of the book women who rode to distribute books to rural areas of Kentucky.
I learned a new historical fact from this book. Cussy is one of the Blue People of Kentucky (a real group of people with blue skin in this area). This was due to a congenital form of methemoglobinemia that turns the skin blue. It is almost exclusively due to inbreeding, causing even more stigma related to their appearance. These people were treated as colored people and were shunned from society, often leading to more inbreeding and increasing the problem.
I love her love for literature and desire to share that with others.