Ginnie S. (gratefulgrama) reviewed The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek (Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, Bk 1) on + 9 more book reviews
Methemoglobinemia isn't an everyday word for most of us. When congenital, it results from an enzyme deficiency and causes the blood to be chocolate brown, which in turn causes the skin to be blue. It is extremely rare.
The condition first appeared in the United States in Martin Fugate, a French immigrant who came here to claim land in an isolated region of Kentucky. He married a native Kentuckian who, unbeknownst to him and against all odds, carried the same recessive gene for methemoglobinemia as he did. Together they produced seven children, four of whom had blue skin.
Cussy Mary Carter, the lead character of this novel is a Blue person, also descended from French ancestors. Her skin could be pale blue at times but darkened with stress, fear, or embarrassment to a blueberry color. Like the other Blues of her family, she usually kept to herself and tried to hide the color of her skin. In 1936 much of this area of rural Kentucky was still deeply rascist and Blues were lumped together with other "Coloreds" for inequity and mistreatment.
Hunger was a daily condition for most people in the area and children still died of pelegra, essentially starving to death. Medical care was scarce and most people relied on folk treatments such as herbs, groundhog brains, and hen "innards". Work was hard to come by and usually for men only or the occasional woman who had her husband's permission.
In 1935 the Pack Horse Literary Project was established as part of the Works Progress Administration to help create jobs for women and to get reading material into the most isolated sections of Appalachia. Cussy Mary was blessed to receive a job as Book Woman; however, it was a tough, demanding, dangerous job. Providing their own horses or, in Cussy Mary's case, her loyal snd protective mule Junia, the Book Women earned $28 month, riding 100 miles or more each week, year round, alone, into desolate mountaineous areas. Cussy Mary loved it!!
She was resolutely determined to do everything she could to meet the reading requests of her patrons. When the random donated and usually out of date materials weren't enough, she and other Book Women assembled scrapbooks with useful information such as recipes, health tips, directions for building, gardening, and hunting. Despite the two "old biddy" (my words) supervisors who censored many periodicals, Cussy Mary would sometimes be able to sneak out months-old newspapers or "excitement" materials for women who requested them. She read to patrons who couldn't read, scrounged food she needed herself for those who were starving, and bartered for medical care for sick patrons.
I loved the character of Cussy Mary, an amazingly strong and principled woman. There are many other well-portrayed individuals in the book. In addition, there is much rural history revealed within the covers of
Richardson's book.
A highly recommended read.
The condition first appeared in the United States in Martin Fugate, a French immigrant who came here to claim land in an isolated region of Kentucky. He married a native Kentuckian who, unbeknownst to him and against all odds, carried the same recessive gene for methemoglobinemia as he did. Together they produced seven children, four of whom had blue skin.
Cussy Mary Carter, the lead character of this novel is a Blue person, also descended from French ancestors. Her skin could be pale blue at times but darkened with stress, fear, or embarrassment to a blueberry color. Like the other Blues of her family, she usually kept to herself and tried to hide the color of her skin. In 1936 much of this area of rural Kentucky was still deeply rascist and Blues were lumped together with other "Coloreds" for inequity and mistreatment.
Hunger was a daily condition for most people in the area and children still died of pelegra, essentially starving to death. Medical care was scarce and most people relied on folk treatments such as herbs, groundhog brains, and hen "innards". Work was hard to come by and usually for men only or the occasional woman who had her husband's permission.
In 1935 the Pack Horse Literary Project was established as part of the Works Progress Administration to help create jobs for women and to get reading material into the most isolated sections of Appalachia. Cussy Mary was blessed to receive a job as Book Woman; however, it was a tough, demanding, dangerous job. Providing their own horses or, in Cussy Mary's case, her loyal snd protective mule Junia, the Book Women earned $28 month, riding 100 miles or more each week, year round, alone, into desolate mountaineous areas. Cussy Mary loved it!!
She was resolutely determined to do everything she could to meet the reading requests of her patrons. When the random donated and usually out of date materials weren't enough, she and other Book Women assembled scrapbooks with useful information such as recipes, health tips, directions for building, gardening, and hunting. Despite the two "old biddy" (my words) supervisors who censored many periodicals, Cussy Mary would sometimes be able to sneak out months-old newspapers or "excitement" materials for women who requested them. She read to patrons who couldn't read, scrounged food she needed herself for those who were starving, and bartered for medical care for sick patrons.
I loved the character of Cussy Mary, an amazingly strong and principled woman. There are many other well-portrayed individuals in the book. In addition, there is much rural history revealed within the covers of
Richardson's book.
A highly recommended read.
