The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

This book has spawned a remarkable response, including at least four “picks,” like the LibraryReads Pick, chosen by librarians. It is set in 1936 in the Troublesome Creek watershed of Knott County in the Eastern Kentucky mountains.  The protagonist, Cussy Mary Carter, is one of the last people with methemoglobinemia, a very rare condition - perhaps in reality occurring in only one family - caused by abnormally low oxygen in the blood turning it dark and thus causing the skin of very fair people to appear blue. Because this condition has been linked to in-breeding, it has been the subject of very exaggerated negative stereotypes both within and beyond the region. In this novel, Cussy Mary Carter becomes one of the New Deal’s Pack Horse Librarians, taking books to remote roadless communities. Again, this sets her apart. The author, Kim Michele Richardson grew up in an orphanage and as a foster child and became homeless at the age of 14, so her empathy with her protagonist is great, and s