In 1936 Cussy Mary Carter was the Book Woman for Troublesome Creek, Kentucky. Every week she would ride on her trusty mule into the hills and hidden hollers to bring written material to individuals beaten by poverty and isolated by geography. The week old newspapers, rebound novels and self-help scrapbooks Cussy constructed by herself were important to the individuals on her route. It was a dangerous job for many reasons but Cussy was determined to avoid the sad life all around her and provide a precious few moments that weren't about hunger and cruelty and hopelessness. At the same time, her blue skin caused some in the town to fear her and others to feel free to humiliate and abuse her.
This tragic and heroic fictional story sheds light on two real histories. One is of the Kentucky Pack Horse Library Service which was one of the WPA programs designed by President Roosevelt. In this case the hope was to employ individuals to bring reading to one of the poorest and least educated parts of Appalachia. The other is of the "blue people" who also lived in this area. In the 1800's a man from Cussy, France emigrated to the United States and carried with him the genetic code for congenital methemoglobinemia which decreases the oxygen in the blood giving the skin a blue color. He settled deep in the Kentucky hills where the custom of marrying within the family kept the recessive gene more common than it would otherwise.
Cussy's story is filled with Appalachian tradition and language and far more good luck than may be believable but she was a brave librarian - it had to turn out OK - really.
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