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The Book Woman's Daughter: A Book Review

A simple review of Kim Michele Richardson's novel, looking at its story, characters, and real history.

Good historical fiction can teach us a lot about today. The best books show us where we came from by telling the lost stories of people history has forgotten. Kim Michele Richardson’s first book, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek , did just that.

That book was a big success, so a lot of people were excited for the sequel, The Book Woman’s Daughter . The book needs to work for fans of the first one. It also has to make sense for new readers.

This review looks at the story, its characters, and the history behind it. We'll see if it tells a story that matters today.

What's the Story About?

Book Details

Author: Kim Michele Richardson, a popular bestselling author.
Publication Date: May 3, 2022.
Genre: Historical Fiction, Books About Books.
Is it a Sequel? Yes, it's the second book in the series. While you can read it on its own, it means a lot more if you've read the first book. Knowing the original characters, Cussy Mary and Jackson, helps you feel the full weight of the story.

Plot Summary (No Spoilers)

The book is about Honey Mary Angeline Lovett, the 16-year-old daughter of the main character from the first book. The story takes place in the Appalachian mountains of Kentucky in 1953.

The story begins when Honey’s parents are arrested and put in jail. They broke a law against interracial marriage. Because Honey's mother, Cussy Mary, is one of the last "blue-skinned people," the state considers her "colored" and her marriage to a white man illegal.

This leaves Honey all alone. She faces being sent to a "House of Reform," which is basically a prison for kids, until she turns 21. To avoid this, she runs away with her mom's mule, Junia, and escapes to a place called Troublesome Creek.

Honey has two main goals. First, she has to fight to stay free and prove she can take care of herself. Second, she feels a duty to continue her family's work delivering books to people in the mountains.

The story is set in 1953, not the 1930s like the first book. This is an important choice by the author. While much of America was doing well after the war, people in Appalachia still faced extreme poverty and unfair laws.

Themes and Characters

The "Blue" People: Prejudice and Identity

To understand this book, you have to know the true story that inspired it. The "blue-skinned people" were a real family in Kentucky called the Fugates. Their story is fascinating.

Historical Context: The "blue-skinned people" were a real family, the Fugates of Kentucky. A rare genetic condition called methemoglobinemia caused their skin to appear blue, leading to social isolation and prejudice.

The Real History: Around 1820, a man named Martin Fugate settled in Troublesome Creek. He had a rare, genetic blood disorder that made his skin look blue. Because the area was so isolated, his family often married other local families, and the trait was passed down through generations.
The Science: The blue skin was caused by a condition called methemoglobinemia. It meant their blood couldn't carry oxygen properly, which turned their skin a bluish color.
How People Treated Them: For years, the Fugates were treated like outcasts. People spread rumors and superstitions about them. They were so shunned by society that they had little choice but to marry within their own small community.
The Treatment: In the 1960s, a doctor figured out what caused the condition. He found that a simple injection of a dye called methylene blue could turn their skin pink in minutes.

The author uses this real history to talk about prejudice. In the book, Honey has the condition, but it's not as severe as her mother's. Only her hands turn blue, and she can hide them with gloves.

The story's main conflict starts with an arrest for an interracial marriage. This connects the family's blue skin to real laws about race. It gets even darker when Honey’s mother is forced to undergo sterilization in prison, linking the story to the ugly history of the eugenics movement in America.

The book uses this history to explore how prejudice works. The Fugate family was white, but their skin color made society treat them differently. When the state arrested Cussy for marrying a white man, it legally classified "Blue" as "colored."

The Power of Books

The main idea in this series is that books and reading can set you free. Honey's fight to survive is tied to her work delivering books. She is continuing her mother's legacy.

In the story, books are tools for empowerment and even rebellion. Honey is criticized for giving women "dirty books." This suggests she is sharing knowledge about women's health or rights that men in the community don't want them to have.

Honey inherits two things from her mother. One is the blue skin, which causes her family so much pain. The other is a love for books and delivering them to others. The story is about her choosing the legacy of knowledge over the one she was born with.

Strong and Independent Women

Honey is a strong and resourceful character. She is a brave girl in a world run by men. Her main goal is to prove she can survive on her own.

At one point, a young man offers to marry her to solve her legal problems. Honey says no. She doesn't want her freedom to come from a marriage that isn't for love.

But Honey doesn't have to survive all by herself. She finds a community of women who help her. Her friends Pearl, a firewatcher, and Bonnie, a coal-mining widow, are part of her support system.

The official systems in the book, like the law, are run by men and often hurt women. So, the women in the story create their own community to help each other. This "sisterhood" is how they survive and support one another.

What I Think of the Book

What Works Well

Most readers agree this is another beautiful and uplifting story about the strong women of Appalachia.

The book's biggest strength is its honesty. It doesn't shy away from the hard parts of life, like poverty and prejudice. The story handles these tough topics with care.

This history is told through great characters, especially Honey. The writing is beautiful and captures the feeling of Appalachia. The story can be sad, but it’s also full of joy.

What Could Be Better

Even with its strengths, the book doesn't quite match the magic of the first one. Some readers felt it had a few weaknesses.

Pacing: Some readers found the story a bit flat and had trouble connecting with it emotionally.
Setting: The world of the book isn't described as well as in the first one. It sometimes feels like the author assumes you already know the setting.
Missing Characters: Fans of the first book really missed the original main characters, Cussy Mary and Jackson, who are barely in this story.

For Honey to be the main character, her mother Cussy had to be out of the picture. The author did this by sending her to prison. But Cussy was what made the first book so special, so her absence is a big reason why some readers liked this one less.

The Ending (Spoilers!)

At the end of the book, Honey goes to court for her freedom. A judge who used to get books from her mother grants her request. This is a very satisfying moment for her character.

Honey wins because of the good things she has done and the relationships she has built. Her work delivering books is what sets her free.

But the ending is also bittersweet. The problem that started the whole story, her parents being in jail, is not solved. Their future is still unknown.

A Realistic Ending: The author's choice to leave the parents' fate unresolved is historically accurate. The miscegenation laws that led to their arrest were not overturned by the Supreme Court until the Loving v. Virginia case in 1967, fourteen years after the book is set.

This isn't a flaw in the story. It's an honest and brave choice by the author. The book is set in 1953, and the laws that put her parents in jail were not overturned until 1967.

A perfect "Hollywood" ending wouldn't have been true to history. The author chose to be realistic. Honey can win her personal freedom, but the bigger, unfair system that hurt her family is still in place.

Book Club Questions

This book is a great choice for book clubs because it deals with big topics. Here are some questions to get your conversation started.

Honey's mother is sterilized in prison, which is based on the real eugenics movement in America. Why is it important to learn about this part of our history?
The story is about laws against interracial marriage, which existed until 1967. How does the book show the gap between what society thinks is right and what the law says?
Honey gets in trouble for sharing "dirty books." What kind of "dangerous" knowledge do you think she was sharing?
The book features women in tough jobs: librarian, fire lookout, and coal miner. What different kinds of dangers did each woman face?
How do the men in the novel use the law to control others? How do the women create their own systems of support to survive?
Honey’s friend Pearl is very modern, while Honey is used to the "old hard ways." What does the book say about the clash between old traditions and the modern world?
How is Honey's journey similar to her mother's? In what ways does she create her own path?

Final Thoughts: Who Should Read This?

The Book Woman's Daughter is a powerful and inspiring novel. It continues the story of Troublesome Creek in a meaningful way. It's a great portrait of courageous women fighting against poverty and prejudice.