Cussy Mary is a "Book Woman" — one of the Packhorse Librarians who delivered books to remote areas of the Appalachian Mountains during the Great Depression, from 1935 to 1943, as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration (WPA) program.

Get everything you need to know about Cussy Mary Carter in The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. Analysis, related quotes, timeline.

Finally, the novel’s protagonist, Cussy Mary Carter, is the last of the “Blue Carters,” a family with a rare blood disorder that tinges the skin blue. Her story fictionalizes aspects of the historical “Blue Fugate” family of Kentucky.

Feb 23, 2025 · Quick Summary: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek follows the life of Cussy Mary, a Blue-skinned woman in 1930s Kentucky, as she bravely fights against prejudice and pursues her passion for the written word, delivering books to her isolated community despite many obstacles.

Cussy Marry returns to work after a self-induced abortion. She visits her patron, Angeline Moffit, a young woman who is pregnant by her husband, Willie, who has been shot in the foot and is dying. Shortly after her visit, Preacher Vester Frazier (Charlie’s cousin) assaults Cussy Mary in …

In January of 1936, 19-year-old Cussy Mary Carter ’s father is trying very hard to find a suitable husband for his daughter. Cussy’s mother died of influenza and Pa —a Kentucky coal miner—is sick himself with black lung.

Oct 7, 2019 · Any woman travelling alone for the miles between residences is at risk. And, being a blue, Cussy Mary faces the additional threat of being “colored” and someone that no one else will look out for or protect in a conflict. Yet, she makes her daily deliveries undaunted.

Apr 15, 2021 · Cussy Mary, the main character, is a librarian or what would be referred to at that time as a ‘Book Woman.’ She rides a packhorse to deliver books and reading material to residents of eastern Kentucky.

Cussy Mary, also known as “Bluet” and “Widow Frazier,” is the 19-year-old protagonist and narrator of the novel. Cussy Mary has “blue-jay blue” skin and lips (7); these are later revealed to be due to a rare genetic disorder.

“Cussy Mary Carter is A Heroine For The Ages. Atmospheric, fascinating, and an important footnote of history that should be prized and preserved, Kim Michele Richardson provides an authentic Kentucky voice in this beautifully-told and meticulously researched tale.”