by: Kim Michele Richardson
Goodreads description:
In 1936, tucked deep into the woods of Troublesome Creek, KY, lives blue-skinned 19-year-old Cussy Carter, the last living female of the rare Blue People ancestry.
The lonely young Appalachian woman joins the historical Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky and becomes a librarian, riding across slippery creek beds and up treacherous mountains on her faithful mule to deliver books and other reading material to the impoverished hill people of Eastern Kentucky.
Along her dangerous route, Cussy, known to the mountain folk as Bluet, confronts those suspicious of her damselfly-blue skin and the government’s new book program. She befriends hardscrabble and complex fellow Kentuckians, and is fiercely determined to bring comfort and joy, instill literacy, and give to those who have nothing, a bookly respite, a fleeting retreat to faraway lands.
Helen says: 🤓🤓🤓 🤓
This was great historical fiction about a true sect of French descendants in a coal mining region of Kentucky. Their blue skin was caused by a recessive trait that continued through generations. The last blue skinned person was born in 1975. Click here to see a picture and read more about this rare condition. I listened to this on a road trip and it was one of the most enjoyable audible books I have encountered. A fascinating story-you won’t be disappointed!
Holly says: 🤓🤓🤓🤓1/4
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. You will love the protagonist, Cussy Mary “Bluet” Carter, a ‘Blue” person from othe Kentucky hills and rider/pack librarian for the New Deal Pack Horse Library Project. And if you love Cussy Mary, you will more than love her faithful steed – okay, mule – Junia. Cussy perseveres through discrimination, intolerance, bigotry, ignorance, and downright meanness. This tale definitely includes the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful – inside and out. The hardships of extremely rural Appalachia during this time period are hard to fathom, and this historical fiction gives us a good picture. Read it – I promise you’ll learn something, and you’ll be glad you did!
Helen and Holly Hit the Books 