The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK by Kim Michele Richardson was chosen as the top LibraryReads recommendation for May 2019 and it is one of my own favorite books of the year so far, too. The main character in this historical fiction novel is a resourceful 19-year-old woman named Cussy Mary Carter, although she is more often called Bluet due to the color of her skin.  As the author explains, there is a recessive gene which can result in methemoglobinemia, a hereditary condition where the individual’s skin appears blue due to the lower oxygen levels.

Reminiscent of Catherine Marshall’s Christy (which is set in 1912 Tennessee), THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK takes place in rural 1936 Kentucky and deals with the extreme poverty and poor working conditions for miners in Appalachia.  Even though her coal miner father worries about her and seeks to marry her off, Cussy is fortunate in that she has a WPA job – being a pack-horse librarian which involves bringing donated books and reading materials to isolated, local residents. It is through those travels that readers meet her patrons such as an older seamstress struggling to see properly, a moon-shiner looking out for his family, a teenage mother-to-be, a lonely fire-watcher, and the school mistress and her charges, many of whom battle starvation.

Cussy Mary’s gender and color result in numerous slights and acts of prejudice, but she battles on, drawing strength from her work and her interactions with patrons. Richardson says, “In writing this novel, my hope was to humanize and bring understanding to the gracious blue-skinned people of Kentucky, to pay tribute to the fearsome Pack Horse Librarians – and to write a human story set in a unique landscape.”  She succeeded. If you are looking for more great books about libraries and librarians, try this list of 10 from BookRiot.

Biased by Jennifer L. Eberhardt

BIASED by Jennifer L. Eberhardt is subtitled “Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do.” The book itself is split into three parts: What Meets the Eye; Where We Find Ourselves; and The Way Out.  Eberhardt, a recipient of a 2014 MacArthur "genius" grant and a professor of psychology at Stanford, defines implicit bias as “a kind of distorting lens that’s a product of both the architecture of our brain and the disparities in our society.”  Eberhardt makes this issue truly relatable by sharing stories and experiences from her own life.  One early example revolves around her move during middle school and the ensuing difficulty of distinguishing between her new - and mostly white - classmates. In addition, she discusses several cases of shootings by police, complete with bystander and family reactions, and the marches in Charlottesville.  Other examples involve bias in hiring decisions and the workplace or in relation to social media. Throughout the text, Eberhardt explains further in sections dealing with the science of recognition or the scientific lens in order to “pull back from the isolated case[s] and examine larger forces at work.” In all, Eberhardt includes roughly twenty pages of notes and links to other scholarly work.

I am looking forward to sharing this important and engaging title with teachers and students, especially since our school is continuing to offer professional development activities related to implicit bias and confirmation bias. BIASED would be a helpful guide in exploring Eberhardt’s fundamental question: “How does race shape who we are and how we experience the world?” As she says, “there is hope in the sheer act of reflection. This is where the power lies and how the process starts.” BIASED received starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist (“Accessible and eye-opening, this should be required reading in high-school social-issue classes.”).

The Satapur Moonstone by Sujata Massey

THE SATAPUR MOONSTONE by Sujata Massey (The Widows of Malabar Hill) is the newest mystery story about Preveen Mistry set in 1920’s India.  Once again, Massey has crafted a complex story filled with historical perspective, particularly about British rule and the inheritance of power by local maharajas. When both the grandmother and the recently widowed mother of a young Indian prince of Satapur write to the British civil service for help in settling the difference in views on how (and where) the young man will be schooled, Bombay’s female lawyer, Preveen Mistry, is asked to visit the palace and to make a recommendation. It’s a difficult journey and her welcome is not particularly warm – in fact, she is almost poisoned and danger definitely lurks for her and the maharaja. Featuring a strong, independent sleuth, THE SATAPUR MOONSTONE received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.  Hints at future adventures have this reader already looking forward to the next in the series by Massey, an award winning author.