Published by Sourcebook's Landmark Genres: Historical Fiction
Format: eBook
“To handle yourself, use your head, to handle others use your heart.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
My favorite kinds of books are those that not only draw me in but educate me, cause me to feel and to think. This one fit the bill perfectly. Not only did I learn more about the Blue People of Kentucky and their rare genetic trait, but I also learned more about the Pack Horse library project which was the brainstorm of Eleanor Roosevelt. According to openculture.com “Sixty -three percent of people who lived in Kentucky during the Great Depression were without access to libraries and approximately. thirty percent of those living in rural Kentucky were illiterate.”
This story follows Cussy Carter, the last female of the Blue People Ancestry. Trying to fulfill her duties as a traveling librarian, she must also deal with prejudice, danger, a horrible arranged marriage, and those wanting to perform medical tests on her.
This is an engaging book of historical fiction which not only shows the goodness of people as demonstrated by Cussy and her sacrifices for others and the ugliness of people as shown by those who were prejudiced and openly ugly to those deemed unworthy or less than due to the color of his/her skin.
I found this book to be well written, thought-provoking, educational, riveting and perfectly paced.