The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson, which goes on sale this week, is a sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. While it is a stand-alone, I would recommend reading the two books in order. They are based on the true packhorse librarians in remote areas of Appalachia. They are both recommended for book clubs and their content would certainly lead to discussions.
Honey Lovett faces prejudice against her as a woman but even more as a blue-skinned woman, a medical condition known as congenital methemoglobinemia. The book begins with a court hearing for her father who has violated his parole and dared to marry a woman of mixed color, a blue-skinned Kentuckian. With her mother also facing a hearing and both of her parents winding up incarcerated for who they are, sixteen-year-old Honey must rely on herself and a few people with the courage to go against the Appalachian traditions of shunning. One is ninety-one year old Loretta and another is moonshiner Devil John. Honey has one small advantage in that only her hands show the blue, and she is usually able to cover them with gloves.
Honey steps up to the place her mother had filled before her as a packhorse librarian in the Kentucky mountains, and forms a friendship with another courageous woman stepping out of her own expected female role to come operate the fire tower. Tension over her sometimes dangerous solo trips into the backwoods countryside, the constant battle for her independence, and her genuine concern for the families she serves keep the reader turning pages.
A real bonus comes at the end in the note from the author with historical background for the story and images from the Pack Horse Library Project.