The Mountains We Call Home by Kim Michele Richardson

April 21, 2026

The Mountains We Call Home by Kim Michele Richardson

Cussy Mary Lovett, Kentucky pack horse librarian and one of the hereditary Blue People, and her husband Jackson have both been imprisoned for breaking the state's miscegenation laws. True to her nature, Cussy chooses to spread good at the prison and is appointed prison librarian, bringing hope to the hopeless women at the prison. All the while, she longs for her husband Jackson and her daughter Honey.

The third book by the author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. While there are parts that will warm your heart, there are also parts that will crush your soul. Themes include the power of books and literacy, family, home, and the need to belong. Possible triggers include racism, prejudice, incarceration, poverty, questionable and cruel medical practices, injustice against marginalized people mainly based on fear and ignorance, and abuse of women. The Kentucky Blue People are real and you can find pictures of them online. If you haven't read the two previous books, I'm extremely jealous and you should go read them right now. I love this series and I hope there will be more about Cussy and her family. Like the first book, this one makes me extremely proud to be a librarian. Highly recommended for readers of historical or literary fiction.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

One of the Kentucky Blue People with his non-blue partner

The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson

June 5, 2022

The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson

Honey Mary Angeline Lovett is the adopted daughter of Cussy Mary Carter, one of the original pack horse librarians in Kentucky. Blue-skinned like Cussy, Honey and her parents have been hiding from the law all of her life. When her parent are arrested for their mixed-race marriage, 16 year old Honey has to find a responsible adult to look after her until she turns 18. Honey moves in with an old friend of her mother's, and to support herself, joins the Pack Horse Library Project, picking up her mother's old route. In the course of her work, she meets Pearl, the first woman park ranger in the state. Honey and Pearl both have to fight for their freedom to work and live independently.

I didn't enjoy this sequel as much as I did the first book (The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek), but it was still a good read. There was a little too much calamity, just one disaster after another. But the characters are engaging and the story is well-researched. And Junius the bad-tempered mule is still with us.

An Appalachian homestead like the ones Cussy and Honey would have visited