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Writer's pictureElise
Apr 21, 20216 min read

Book Club Discussion Questions: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

Updated: Mar 21, 2022

For those of you that haven't or couldn't attend book club lately, we'll be publishing the previous months' discussion questions here. I hope eventually to post discussion questions for all of the books we've covered since I took over a couple of years ago and beyond, all the way to the beginning over a decade and a half ago. It will take a while. Until then, we will be posting discussion questions on a weekly basis. Here are the questions from April's title, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. We hope these questions spark discussions of your own.

 

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

by Kim Michele Richardson


Summary:

The hardscrabble folks of Troublesome Creek have to scrap for everything—everything except books, that is. Thanks to Roosevelt's Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, Troublesome's got its very own traveling librarian, Cussy Mary Carter.


Cussy's not only a book woman, however, she's also the last of her kind, her skin a shade of blue unlike most anyone else. Not everyone is keen on Cussy's family or the Library Project, and a Blue is often blamed for any whiff of trouble. If Cussy wants to bring the joy of books to the hill folks, she's going to have to confront prejudice as old as the Appalachias and suspicion as deep as the holler.


Inspired by the true blue-skinned people of Kentucky and the brave and dedicated Kentucky Pack Horse library service of the 1930s, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a story of raw courage, fierce strength, and one woman's belief that books can carry us anywhere—even back home.


"This gem of a historical from Richardson features an indomitable heroine navigating a community steeped in racial intolerance...Readers will adore the memorable Cussy and appreciate Richardson's fine rendering of rural Kentucky life."—Publishers Weekly

 

Discussion Questions

Official Questions

  1. The Kentucky Pack Horse program was implemented in 1935 by the Works Project Administration (WPA) to create women’s work programs and to assist economic recovery and build literacy. Looking at the novel, how did the program affect the people in this remote area? Do you think library programs are still a vital part of our society today?

  2. How has a librarian or booklover impacted your life? Have you ever connected with a book or author in a meaningful way? Explain.

  3. Missionaries, government, social workers, and various religious groups have always visited eastern Kentucky to reform, modernize, and mold hillfolk to their acceptable standards. Do you think Cussy faced this kind of prejudice from the outside world? Is there any prejudice or stigma associated with the people of Appalachia today?

  4. How do you think Cussy’s father feels after he marries her off to an abusive man? Why do you think he agrees to Charlie Frazier’s proposal in the first place? What do you imagine life was like for an unwed woman at that time?

  5. Imagine you were making a community scrapbook like the ones Cussy distributes to the people of Troublesome. What would you include? Do you think these materials were helpful to Cussy’s library patrons?

  6. When Cussy receives the cure for her blueness from Doc, she realizes there’s a price to pay for her white skin and the side effects soon become too much to handle. If you were in Cussy’s shoes, would you sacrifice your health for a chance at “normalcy”? If there weren’t any side effects, do you think Cussy would have continued to take the medication? Would you?

  7. How do you think Cussy feels when she is ostracized at the Independence Day celebration, despite her change of skin color? Can you relate to her feelings of isolation? Do you think there are still these kind of racial prejudices prevalent today?

  8. Cussy has to deal with the loss of many loved ones in a very short amount of time. How do you think she handles her grief? Which loss was the most difficult for you to read?

  9. What do you think life was like for the people of Troublesome? What are some of the highlights of living in such a remote place? What are some of the challenges the people on Cussy’s library route face?

  10. Back then, entering into a prohibited or interracial marriage in Kentucky was a misdemeanor that could result in incarceration, and we see these racial tensions attempt to sever Cussy and Jackson’s relationship. Discuss anti-miscegenation laws and marriage laws. Do you think this kind of prejudice still exists toward interracial couples?

  11. What do you think happens to Cussy, Jackson, Honey, and the other inhabitants of Troublesome after the story ends? Imagine you were Cussy. How would you feel leaving Troublesome for good? Alternative Questions

  12. If you had to only pick one word to describe the book, what would it be?

  13. How much did you know about either (1) The Blue People of Kentucky or (2) the Pack Horse Librarians before reading this book?

  14. What changes did Cussy go through throughout the novel? What brought about these changes?

  15. Whose death in the story affected Cussy the most? Whose death affected you the most as a reader?

  16. Why did Cussy's father keep rejecting Jackson's marriage proposal to Cussy?

  17. How has a librarian or booklover impacted your life?

  18. What do you imagine life was like for an unwed woman at the time the book takes place?

  19. Why do you think Jackson was drawn to Cussy Marry?

  20. How does Cussy's social isolation affect her relationships with others?

  21. Why do you think Cussy is ostracized at the Independence Day celebration, despite her change in skin color?

  22. Choose a character from the book. Try to imagine their future lives. What would it be like?

  23. Other than the main characters, in your opinion, who was the most interesting character in the book? Why? What about them would you like to know more about?

  24. Is there a character you identified with?

  25. What do you think the differences are between the prejudice Cussy experiences for being blue and the racism her friend Queenie experiences as a black woman?

  26. Imagine you are Cussy. How would you feel leaving Troublesome for good?

  27. What role do you think library programs play in our society today?

  28. What do you think life was like for the people of Troublesome?

  29. Imaging you are making a scrapbook for your own community like the ones Cussy distributes to the people of Troublesome. What would you include? Do you think these materials were helpful to Cussy's library patrons?

  30. How did the WPA affect the people in this particular remote area and across the country? Do you think a program similar to the WPA would be a good thing today?

  31. Waht sorts of marriages and relationships do you think risk societal disapproval today?

  32. There are so many important themes throughout the book and it touches on so many topics. Which themes stood out most to you?

  33. Did you like the author's writing style? What did you like about it? Dislike?

  34. Troublesome is a real place but it also fits the title perfectly. Which sorts of things are most "troublesome"? If you had to re-title the book, what title would you choose?

  35. Do you think Cussy should have followed Queenie to Philadelphia? Why or why not?

  36. Had the medicine had no side effects, do you think Cussy would have continued to take it?

  37. Other than the blue people and the library, what else did you learn?

  38. In the author's note, she (Kim Michele Richardson) is asked about her favorite moment from the novel? What is yours?

  39. Would you recommend this book to a friend?

 

Additional Resources

If you are interested in learning more about the Blue Fugets, methemoglobinemia, pack horse librarians, or Appalachian culture, here are some links and resources to start you on your search:


Kim Michele Richardson has some excellent resources for further reading Including some recipes from the area, an author question and answer session, and some of the above discussion questions.


Books From Our Collection That Take Place In Appalachia

The Ballad of Frankie Silver by Sharyn McCrumb

Christy by Catherine Marshall (the basis for the 90s television series by the same name)

The Truest Pleasure by Robert Morgan

Gap Creek by Robert Morgan

Strange As This Weather Has Been by Ann Pancake

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance

In the Garden of Stone by Susan Tekulve

Hatfields & McCoys (DVD)

Appalachian Reckoning: A Region Responds to Hillbilly Elegy edited by Anthony Harkins and Meredith McCarroll

What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia by Elizabeth Catte


Online Videos and Sites

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