Book discussion started off the year with a terrific read. This book combines two factual things--the Pack Horse Librarian program of FDR's WPA and the Blue People of Kentucky. In 1936, Cussy Mary and her father are the last of the "Blue People" of the eastern hills of Kentucky. They and their ancestors suffer from a rare genetic disease that turns their skin blue. They are not treated well by the white hill-folk or the townspeople of Troublesome Creek. Despite that, Cussy took the initiative and became accepted in the Pack Horse Librarian program. She rides a mule (Junia--a truly delightful personality) and delivers books and magazines deep into the hollers and hills of Kentucky. Going along with Cussy on her delivery route is both fascinating and heartbreaking. I had to keep reminding myself that the story takes place in 1936 because this area of Kentucky was very underdeveloped and the poverty was staggering. The attention to historical details and each and every unique character make this book a standout.
Showing posts with label prejudice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prejudice. Show all posts
Sunday, January 19, 2020
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek/Kim M. Richardson/308 pgs
Book discussion started off the year with a terrific read. This book combines two factual things--the Pack Horse Librarian program of FDR's WPA and the Blue People of Kentucky. In 1936, Cussy Mary and her father are the last of the "Blue People" of the eastern hills of Kentucky. They and their ancestors suffer from a rare genetic disease that turns their skin blue. They are not treated well by the white hill-folk or the townspeople of Troublesome Creek. Despite that, Cussy took the initiative and became accepted in the Pack Horse Librarian program. She rides a mule (Junia--a truly delightful personality) and delivers books and magazines deep into the hollers and hills of Kentucky. Going along with Cussy on her delivery route is both fascinating and heartbreaking. I had to keep reminding myself that the story takes place in 1936 because this area of Kentucky was very underdeveloped and the poverty was staggering. The attention to historical details and each and every unique character make this book a standout.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire / J.K. Rowling / 734 pages
Harry Potter's adventures take a darker turn in this 4th book of the series. The imagery and magical violence conjured in the text may be too strong for young readers. The teenage angst common in young adult books is very present in this volume. Harry finds friends who turn out to be enemies and enemies who turn out to be friends. He seems unable to decide who to trust. To make things worse, Ron gets angry with Harry (over Harry's fame and fortune) and ignores him for weeks.
Hermione takes on a crusade against prejudices of all kinds in this volume. Fans of the movie may appreciate this deeper look into Hermione's psyche. Another difference between book and movie is in how distant the teachers seem in the book. Snape is even worse to Harry in the book than ever in the movies, Dumbledore and McGonagal seem to hardly notice Harry's troubles and rarely help him. The only teacher seeming to help this year (besides Hagrid of course) turns out to be arranging Harry's death. (What's a year in Hogwarts without someone trying to kill Harry?)
This book, like all the others in the series, is well worth the read.
Hermione takes on a crusade against prejudices of all kinds in this volume. Fans of the movie may appreciate this deeper look into Hermione's psyche. Another difference between book and movie is in how distant the teachers seem in the book. Snape is even worse to Harry in the book than ever in the movies, Dumbledore and McGonagal seem to hardly notice Harry's troubles and rarely help him. The only teacher seeming to help this year (besides Hagrid of course) turns out to be arranging Harry's death. (What's a year in Hogwarts without someone trying to kill Harry?)
This book, like all the others in the series, is well worth the read.
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