Title: Down Cut Shin Creek: The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky
Author: Kathi Appelt
Major Themes: Libraries, Librarians, Kentucky, Poverty, Great Depression, Literacy
Synopsis: How did the people living in the backwoods of Kentucky during the Great Depression get books to read?
Not long ago, I had the opportunity to buy some heavily discounted books from Purple House Press, which specializes in reprinting older gems. One of the ones I chose to purchase was Down Cut Shin Creek, which is an original release rather than a reprint, but it goes along with the theme of making good books available to everyone. I read this book to my youngest children yesterday. What a treat!
Publisher’s description:
During the Depression, thousands lived on the brink of starvation. In 1935 President Roosevelt created the Works Progress Administration, which was designed to get people back on their feet. One of its most innovative programs was the Pack Horse Library Project of Eastern Kentucky.
Thoroughly researched and illustrated with period photographs, this is the story of one of the WPA’s greatest successes. People from all over contributed books, magazines, and newspapers, but it was the librarians themselves—determined young women earning just $28 a month—who brought the hope of a wider world to the people in the hollows of Kentucky’s Cumberland Mountains.
My thoughts:
When I started reading Down Cut Shin Creek to my daughters, I didn’t know how interested they would be in it. I read aloud to them a lot, but they are mostly interested in fiction books, and this one is obviously not fiction. Also, it is illustrated with old black and white photographs, so I wasn’t sure how they would like it. I was amazed at the way they soaked in the accounts of the librarians. In fact, when I had to quit for a few minutes and go take care of something in another room, I came back and found that my 10-year-old had finished reading the book to herself while I was out! The younger girl, who can’t read much yet, was impatiently waiting for me to get back and read the rest to her. They were enthralled with this book!
The photographs that have been selected to illustrate this account of the Pack Horse Librarians and the way the program worked are amazing. They show the deep poverty of the backwoods of Kentucky—but also the joy and the love shared by the people and the librarians.
No warnings!
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12, Family Friendly
Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12, 12 – 15, 15 and Above, Adults
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Hardcover
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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