This book falls under the category of books that make you think.
It’s the story of Cussy Mary Carter, or Bluet, as she’s called, a young woman who lives in the Appalachian mountains of Eastern Kentucky.
Bluet is special, or different, because her skin is blue, as is her father’s. She’s one of the blue people, or as far as she knows, the last of the blue people. Initially, we don’t know why her skin is the way it is, but what we do know is that Blues are discriminated against just like Blacks, as they are all considered coloreds, but the lot of the blue people is even worse because their color is considered unnatural.
The story is set in the 1930’s during the Depression, a historically difficult time, even more so in an extremely rural, small town, in the Appalachians. All of the prejudice, discrimination, brutality and economic hardship of that period are exacerbated in this setting.
Bluet is a Book Woman, she works for the Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, carrying books on her mule to her patrons in remote areas. Her father works in the mines. Theirs is a brutal story of hardship and hunger, of humiliation and helplessness, but also of strength, and pride, and love. And most of all the story revolves around her love of reading and books. The importance of reading and books and of education, to counteract the loneliness and despair of a harsh life. It was hard to understand at first, it’s such a different world from the one we know and understand, it took me a while to really get into it. Maybe because it’s not overly descriptive, but at the same time as you get into it you really get a sense of the setting, the landscape, the difficulties in every day things, the true sense of not having resources, of not being able to meet basic needs, of watching people you love and care for starve to death or discriminate against you.
She is such a kind soul, blaming herself for things she has no control over, like the color of her skin, like her inability to help others when she can barely help herself. But she doesn’t give up. She both submits to her lot in life and fights it tooth and nail, and it’s heart wrenching, but also incredibly touching and you can’t but root for her.
I loved this character, even though I’m sure I couldn’t fully understand her struggle, not from my privileged position, of being born in a different time, of being white, of having means and an education, and a freedom that at the time wasn’t possible for women, but I certainly empathized, I took her to heart, and I cheered her on wholeheartedly. The book touches on many themes, important themes, almost too many to count and yet none of it is trivialized: racism, prejudice, discrimination, gender inequality, hunger, education, poverty, love, sacrifice, friendship, the highs and lows of human nature. I could go on.
I don’t want to give any spoilers, so I won’t talk about the plot, but it’s worth it. It took me a good third to get really into it, I kept getting exasperated at her for doing things a certain way, or for giving in, until I realized that I simply couldn’t read it from my own point of view, because I had never lived that way, I knew nothing of that reality, and my having an opinion about it was pure arrogance.
It’s not an easy read, it’s not light or funny, although there are a few moments that are funny and sweet, but mostly I cried. It’s a touching book and not one I’ll soon forget. There’s a sequel, I might need a minute to gather myself before I delve into it, but I will.
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About the author
Worth reading
It’s a good book. I’m not sure. I agree with people when they say they couldn’t put it down. And I found the historical element to it Pretty neat.
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- Christina FulcherReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 20, 2025
Very interesting
