Year 3, week 28: The Underground Railroad

This week's book:
The Underground Railroad
By Colson Whitehead

Oh my gosh, this book was so very well written, but so hard to make it through. I read it insanely fast because I just wanted it to be over. I had originally checked it out from the library via audiobook, but after I realized how graphic it was, I promptly returned it.

The story is of a woman who was a slave during the time the USA still had slaves. Like I said, it was very well written and detailed for how it was for people trying to get away from the plantations where they were being treated so poorly. It was so well written that it physically hurt me to read what was on the page. But it also detailed how disturbed some of the slave owners were with what they thought was their property. The book is a novel, but it could have been any one of many people's stories.

If you want to learn about how different African American tried to escape from the horrors of slavery, then I can't think of a better written account via a novel, but it is a really heavy read.

Year 3, week 27: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

This week's book:
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
By Kim Michele Richardson

This week's book was for my church’s book group. When we were pitching books for the upcoming year, this title was the book I was most excited for. I was really hoping it was going to be a good book because I love books and ever since watching Christy (that show from the early '90s staring Kellie Martin and Tyne Daly) I have had a fascination with the people of the Appalachian mountains. Well my expectations were met; I loved this book!

The story is about a young woman in the Appalachian mountains in 1936. She is one of the Blue People Kentucky, more specifically of Troublesome Creek. She is librarian of the Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky, which were traveling librarians that would ride around the mountains bringing people books. I had never heard about the Blue People until this book and had to look up what they looked like. It was quite shocking when I did my Google search and saw how blue they truly were. The disorder is called methemoglobinemia, it is actually a problem in the blood, due to inbreeding. The last person that is known to have this issue with their blood was born in the 1970's.

The main character Cussy, is African American and Blue as well. The book talked a lot about poverty and racism in that time and part of the country. A lot of the people she deals with, including the pastor and doctors in those parts are just horrible to her. They call her the Blue Ghost and not only treat her badly for being African American, but she is Blue! She tries to take a medication that would take the blue out of her skin pigment, but it makes her violently ill and the town's people still treat her horrible. There are only a handful of people that aren't terrible to her, including a young man named Jackson that in all honesty is too good to be true, he kind of reminded me of a Hallmark Movie guy.

The level of poverty and lack of education is just heartbreaking. People are starving to death and might not even know how to read. From a chunky book lover, the situation sounds dreadful. But Cussy has a true passion to bring books to these people that are in such a need for books, and maybe an escape from their daily life. No matter how people treat her, she is so strong and nice. I really enjoyed that one of the complaints that one of the fathers has is that the books his family is reading is distracting the kids and his wife from their work. We complain about electronics today, but books would do just the same thing.

It is just a beautifully written book while still very informative. I can't recommend this book enough.

Year 3, week 26: The Sun Down Motel

This week's book:
The Sun Down Motel
By Simone St. James

This week's book was my first Book of the Month Club book. My amazing hubby signed me up for a book service where you get to pick a brand new hardback book that you get mailed to you. There is a list of books you can pick from, and if you like more than one, you can add on for a little more money. I have received my first two months worth of boxes and I am just over the moon. The last time I was at a local bookstore, a lot of the books that they were displaying were books that had been listed as books in the Book of the Month program. I wish I would have signed up for this program earlier, it would have saved me so much money, plus as a book nerd it really makes me so excited and happy every time that blue box is delivered to our front door.

This week's book was very enjoyable. It took me longer than it should have because of a sick little one who just couldn't shake her first sickness. Every time I would try to sit down to read the book, she would start crying and I would have to nurse or rock her again. I loved all the extra snuggles, and to be honest the book can always wait, they aren't babies forever.

The book is set at a roadside motel that no one ever shops at and is, of course, haunted. The novel was interesting and kept me interested until pretty much the end; I think authors have a hard time ending their stories sometimes (I'm looking at you Stephen King). I would recommend it highly and have already given it to my ghost-loving sister for her to read.

Year 3, week 25: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

This week's book:
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
By Maya Angelou


"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

I have wanted to read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings forever and I finally just did it. I listened to it via audiobook because Angelou read her book herself. I have loved her voice since I was a little girl; she always sounded like she was reciting poetry when she spoke. If you don't know who Maya Angelou was, please look her up and listen to her speak, it can be any video of her; maybe her reciting one of her poems or singing Little Sally Walker on Sesame Street. I always think of Angelou when I think of the civil rights movement and what I imagine a poet should sound like. I guess you can say I think Maya Angelou was pretty great.

This week's book was her first autobiography, which was published in 1969. The book is just so insanely well written. She tells about different times of her life and even though there are parts that are very heartbreaking, Angelou writes it so well, you have to know what's going to happen next. After her death in 2014 this book went back to number 1 one the best sellers list.

I don't really need to tell you this is a good book and you definitely need to pick it up.