The Mountains We Call Home by Richardson

THE MOUNTAINS WE CALL HOME by Kim Michele Richardson is a work of historical fiction subtitled “The Book Woman's Legacy.” It continues the excellent series which began with The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, followed by The Book Woman’s Daughter. This time, readers find Cussy Mary, a young woman whose skin appears blue due to genetic factors, in jail for marrying a white man, Jackson Lovett. It is the early 1950s (prior to the Supreme Court’s decision in Loving v. Virginia) so the partners are separated and imprisoned. This is a hard book to read at first as Cussy works long hours in the prison kitchen and laundry, amidst harsh conditions. Eventually, she and the readers find hope and some respite as she is assigned librarian duties and begins to transform life for other inmates through literacy and the escape that books often bring. Concerned with freedom and bodily autonomy, there are many sad aspects, including talk of lobotomies, a botched death sentence, and threatened abortion. This title is a LibraryReads Hall of Fame selection and for interested book groups, a Reading Group Guide is included which also explores rural vs. urban life and several social issues. Library Journal describes THE MOUNTAINS WE CALL HOME as “a deeply satisfying companion novel … exploring injustice, belonging, and the transformative power of literacy with compassion and grace.” Kim Michele Richardson is herself passionate about literacy and has honored the Pack Librarians by founding an initiative called Courthouses Reading Across Kentucky, establishing Little Free Libraries across the state.

Horse by Geraldine Brooks

HORSE by Geraldine Brooks came out today and it is the top candidate for my favorite book of the year. The Pulitzer Prize winning author has skillfully used the history of a famous racehorse to interweave the stories of nineteenth century enslaved people with modern day race relations. Sport, art, science, war, and mystery all play a part in this fascinating saga with portions set in the mid-1800s, in 1950s New York art world, and in Washington, D.C. in 2019. Early in the novel, Brooks introduces Jess who works at the Smithsonian and contemplates the vast storage area which “also held the things people had created – the finest examples of the artistry and the ingenuity of our own species. How could we be so creative and so destructive at the same time?” That theme repeats throughout the book; for example, in the tension between beauty and abuse of the thoroughbreds, and certainly, for her human characters, in the privileges conveyed by class and/or race.  In a time before photography, gentlemen often paid to have their horses painted and it is amazing how Brooks brings the stories of the owners, artists, trainers, and groomsmen alive. In HORSE, she focuses on a slave named Jarret, a youngster in 1850 when the foal Darley, later known as Lexington, was born. Together, the two travel from Kentucky to New Orleans to New York and ultimately back to Kentucky winning races and astounding fans. HORSE received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and Library Journal and is a text which could easily be added to the curriculum, particularly for American Studies, or alternate with The Invention of Wings, another personal favorite. Book groups, too, will thoroughly enjoy discussing Brooks’ latest - here are the questions from the Reader’s Guide provided by Penguin. Highly recommended.

The Book Woman's Daughter by Richardson

THE BOOK WOMAN'S DAUGHTER by Kim Michele Richardson (The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek) is set in rural Kentucky in 1953. The story centers around 16-year-old Honey Mary-Angeline Lovett whose parents are jailed due to the miscegenation laws prohibiting mixed race marriages. The local social worker wants to send Honey to reform school until she is 21, but Honey manages to ride her faithful mule named Junia into the next county and find family friends who help a lawyer establish guardianship. The adventures and hardships continue, however. I found it particularly moving to think about the plight of women and girls at that time (“Laws written by men don’t protect females much”) – especially with this week’s news from the Supreme Court. Richardson probes the hypocrisy of patriarchal, bigoted edicts which punish people for loving each other and which would allow Honey to become a child bride rather than grant her status as an independent person (“sure takes a lot of men to decide one li’l girl’s best interests”). In addition, she references Hallie Daggert, the first (1913) female fire lookout for the Forest Service, plus the plight of poor widows and abused wives, through empathetic characters (Pearl, Bonnie, and Guyla Belle) who become Honey’s friends. There is plenty of adventure and a bit of mystery woven into this excellent work of historical fiction. THE BOOK WOMAN'S DAUGHTER contains a book group guide and was chosen as a Library Reads selection this month.

Richardson’s characters clearly love books and at one point Honey reflects upon her mother’s work as a Pack Librarian for the WPA: “Mama always said, You grow readers, expand minds, if you let them choose, but you go banning a read, you stunt the whole community.” Please stop by the Library to see our display about banned books and the Freedom to Read.

Groundskeeping by Lee Cole

GROUNDSKEEPING by Lee Cole is a slow-moving story about a young man trying to find himself again. Kentucky born and bred Owen has started a landscaping job and is able to take a writing class for free at the local university. There, he meets an accomplished, but lonely visiting professor, Alma Hadzic, and they are attracted to each other: “We both laughed at this. I felt the competing desires, as I often did when meeting someone new, to know everything at once and to save it all for later. It was like the feeling one has reading a good book, the sensation of being propelled toward the end and at the same time wishing to linger.” Owen grapples with his rural, Southern roots, especially in contrast to Alma’s life as an immigrant from Bosnia who graduated from Princeton, but debut author Cole patiently describes their interactions and allows readers to appreciate the growth for both characters. GROUNDSKEEPING received starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus.

Westering Women and The Giver of Stars

WESTERING WOMEN by Sandra Dallas is a work of historical fiction written by one of my favorite authors. In this latest work, she relates the story of Maggie and Mary, two women who befriend each other and decide to join a wagon train in the 1850’s, travelling west as prospective brides. They, like many of the other women on the train, are escaping difficult situations, including spousal abuse, betrayal by men, and families who would not help them. Readers will develop affection for the many characters Dallas introduces, including the two ministers who run the wagon train and women like Dora, Penn, Sadie, and Winny – who with Maggie and Mary learn to set up camp, navigate across the plains, and drive the oxen.  Along the way, they also learn each other’s secrets and build a strong emotional bond as they face many physical challenges together, including Indian visits, disease and an unexpected pregnancy, plus swift flowing rivers and a dangerous desert that need to be crossed. As Maggie reflects, “There was no choice.  Either they would work together or they would never make it to the gold diggings.” In my opinion, Dallas is at her best when she writes about strong women and the bonds of friendship they develop (look especially for The Persian Pickle Club, Alice’s Tulips, or The Diary of Mattie Spencer). 

THE GIVER OF STARS by Jojo Moyes is another work of historical fiction about strong women. The setting for this new novel from the best-selling author is primarily 1930s rural Kentucky.  That is where Alice Wright, an unconventional English socialite, moves with her new husband and her father-in-law, who manages the local mine. Feeling stifled and out of place, Alice volunteers to work with the Kentucky Packhorse Librarians – delivering books and magazines to the rural residents. She joins Margery, another independent spirit, and other young women, establishing connections with local residents, even as labor strife grows and her father-in-law’s opposition to her work turns more vindictive.  This novel also contains a romance for Alice and another for Margery, adding to the appeal for Moyes’ many fans. If you like historical fiction, I encourage you to also look for The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek – a novel which was published last Spring – and contains a unique story about the same library delivery service.