By Kim Michele Richardson
This is historical fiction at it’s best, depicting true events that occurred in the Kentucky Mountains in FDR’s 1930s about the pack horse librarians. The librarians, mostly woman who traveled by horse, mule or donkey and were part of the WPA program which was designed to decrease poverty and bring reading to remote parts of the state.
The novel is inspired by the blue-skinned people of Kentucky and the brave and dedicated Kentucky Pack Horse Library Service. Scrupulously researched, it gives a not- so – pretty look at the mining industry and racism in Kentucky. The characters and prose are unforgettable and Richardson’s descriptions make you want to visit those mountains and listen again to Copland’s Appalachian Spring.
Although it is not an easy book to read, it will make you cry and lift you up at the same time. The author manages to pull off a compelling piece of literature about a difficult period in our American south. Highly recommended. I couldn’t put it down.