The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim MIchele Richardson

I am not a reader who tends to cry at books, but The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek moved me to tears. During the late 1930s as part of the WPA, books were delivered to very rural parts of the United States, especially the south by women (with the exception of a few men) who journeyed on horses or, in this case, mules. They were referred to as Pack Horse Librarians or the Book Woman. 

Cussy Mary Carter is one of the librarians who lives with her father, a coal miner in Troublesome Creek, Kentucky - not too far from Hazard. Her father, Elijah, is determined that Cussy be married and he sets out to find a suitable husband for her, as he had promised his late wife and Cussy's mother. There is a major obstacle in that Cussy, also known as Bluet, is one of the Blue People of Kentucky. She is a descendant of Martin Fugate, who brought his family to the area around 1800. He and his descendants suffered from a genetic trait that caused their skin to take on a blueish cast. Cussy has no desire to be married, but her father wins out and she is married to Charlie Frazier, a horrible man who rapes her and beats her into submission. He meets an appropriate end and Cussy returns to her father and her job as a Book Woman with her trusty, but temperamental mule, Junia. 

Throughout the novel the reader becomes acquainted with and enjoys the company of Cussy's patrons - Angeline and Willie Moffit (she pregnant and he who is dying from gangrene where he was shot in the foot), Winnie, the school teacher who is waiting to join her husband in Detroit, Henry, the little boy who suffers from pelagra, is starving, but gives Cussy a pineapple lifesaver as a present, R.C., who mans the firetower and anxiously await magazines, Oren Taft, who collects books for a family miles away, and Jackson Lovett, a wonderful man who flirts with Cussy and has a way with Junia. 

And then there are those who figure prominently in her life. She develops a warm relationship with Queenie, a colored co-worker who leaves Troublesome Creek for Philadelphia to become a librarian. Harriett Hardin is Cussy's boss at the library center and is mean, a racist, and jealous of Cussy's relationship to Jackson. Doc is the town physician, who takes an interest in a medicinal way to treat Cussy's blueish color. 

Cussy will take her place as one of my favorite literary characters. She is determined, kind, thoughtful, compassionate, and a lover of books who enjoys sharing that love with others. She accepts her color despite the despicable and insidious racism of Troublesome Creek. When Angeline dies in childbirth and leaves her daughter, Honey, Cussy has no qualms about taking her for her own. 

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek tackles the theme of how religion can be tied to racism and as a threat when used by those who don't understand how a person of color feels. But it also is a testimony to the role that books play in society and the necessity of a family to participate in the education of the children. This theme is echoed throughout and was a major factor in my love of this book. It is definitely one of my favs and Cussy, a soul mate, for her love of sharing books.