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Chargement... The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek: A Novel (édition 2019)par Kim Michele Richardson (Auteur)
Information sur l'oeuvreThe Book Woman of Troublesome Creek par Kim Michele Richardson
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Inscrivez-vous à LibraryThing pour découvrir si vous aimerez ce livre Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre. An enjoyable historical story about a pack-horse librarian in 1930s Kentucky. ( ) Historical fiction set in western Kentucky in the 1930s. It's main character, Cussy, is a traveling "book woman", whose job it is to travel around very remote areas of her community and deliver books and reading material to her neighbors. Cussy also happens to be one of Kentucky's "Blue People" due to a rare genetic disease she and her family have inherited. As a result of her color, she and those like her face racial discrimination at almost every turn. Cussy does have a cadre of family and friends who look out for her and help her in her fight for justice for herself and her impoverished community. An eye opening book on an area and a history I knew nothing about. This is a beautiful book that deals with the effects of prejudice, poverty, and marginalization on not only a community, but also the lives of the inhabitants. Cussy Mary is a "blue Kentuckian" who faces poverty, abuse and discrimination, and the early death of loved ones. She brings hope by delivering library books on muleback to her patrons in an isolated, despairing community during the depths of the Great Depression. Through their love of books, she and her patrons find a common "language" and begin to forge a tentative friendship that helps overcome differences. Cussy longs for the deeper connection of a family, but as the last of her kind, she believes that "dreams are for books" and is determined to become self-reliant, finding her purpose in her work. In an interview, the author observes that "knowing one small piece of this world- the earth, the sky, the plants, the people, and the very air of it- helps us to understand the sufferings and joys of others ourselves." This novel certainly helps readers do just thatl Cussy Mary Carter is a Blue, a member of a family in extremely rural 1930s Kentucky that has an inherited genetic disorder causing blue skin. She lives with her father, a miner, and has a job as a Pack Horse Librarian - a federal program that pays local residents to share donated books, magazines, and newspapers among remote homes. Cussy is ostracized from the rural society, with some people thinking her color is a contagious disease, it is a sign of the devil and she needs to be “saved”, or associating her with “colored” (i.e. Black) people. Life in the mountains, in extreme poverty, is very hard, but the joy that she can bring people with a novel or magazine or pie recipe pasted in a scrapbook are worth it. The true stories behind this fictional one are fascinating. The Blue Fugates of Kentucky were a real family, descended from a real French immigrant in 1820, who carried a real gene that really made their skin blue. The Pack Horse Librarian Program was a New Deal project which really employed women to deliver materials and read to rural people. There is no evidence that any of the Blue Fugates were Pack Horse Librarians. The details of Cussy’s father’s life as a miner were accurate and detailed - the mining company paid the workers in chits that could only be spent at the Company store, thus keeping them in debt, and was constantly threatening to pack up and leave (as one of the few employers in the area). Pa suffers from black lung disease, tries to organize a union with his fellow miners, is forced to take on the most dangerous tasks due to his blue skin, and
Richardson has penned an emotionally moving and fascinating story about the power of literacy over bigotry, hatred and fear. Richardson, a master of phrase, cadence, and imagery, once again delivers a powerful yet heartfelt story that gives readers a privileged glimpse into an impoverished yet rigidly hierarchical society, this time by shining a light on the courageous, dedicated women who brought books and hope to those struggling to survive on its lowest rung. Strongly recommended. Kim Michele Richardson’s presentation of her protagonist’s challenges and perseverance within a culture hostile to deviation from norms is a significant accomplishment. Equally valuable is her reminder of the priceless necessity, the enduring thrill, of books and reading. Cussy's first-person narrative voice is engaging, laced with a thick Kentucky accent and colloquialisms of Depression-era Appalachia. Through the bigotry and discrimination Cussy suffers as a result of her skin color, the author artfully depicts the insidious behavior that can result when a society’s members feel threatened by things they don't understand. With a focus on the personal joy and broadened horizons that can result from access to reading material, this well-researched tale serves as a solid history lesson on 1930s Kentucky. A unique story about Appalachia and the healing power of the written word. This gem of a historical from Richardson (The Sisters of Glass Ferry) features an indomitable heroine navigating a community steeped in racial intolerance.... Though the ending is abrupt and some historical information feels clumsily inserted, readers will adore the memorable Cussy and appreciate Richardson’s fine rendering of rural Kentucky life. Appartient à la sériePrix et récompensesDistinctionsListes notables
"Cussy Mary Carter is the last of her kind, her skin the color of a blue damselfly in these dusty hills. But that doesn't mean she's got nothing to offer. As a member of the Pack Horse Library Project, Cussy delivers books to the hill folk of Troublesome, hoping to spread learning in these desperate times. But not everyone is so keen on Cussy's family or the Library Project, and the hardscrabble Kentuckians are quick to blame a Blue for any trouble in their small town. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a story of raw courage, fierce strength, and one woman's determination to bring a little bit of hope to the darkly hollers"-- Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
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Google Books — Chargement... GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyClassification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne:
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