I felt so touched and impressed with Grace’s life and the impact that she and her co-workers made on the lives of so many people, that the book was almost inevitable. Of course, I jumped at the chance, and both of us just fell in love with Grace and her story. One day, she invited me to come with her to Beattyville, KT to interview a woman named Grace Lucas who had been one of these librarians. Then I contacted the webmaster who turned out to be Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer, a librarian in Cookville, TN and we started corresponding with each other.

It wasn’t anything that Jacob could use, but with my life-long affection for all-things-horse I bookmarked the page and returned to it a couple of days later. Well, it turns out there are thousands of sites about the WPA, but there was one called “Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project.” I went to the site and there were these wonderful photographs of women delivering books by horse and mule through the mountains of Kentucky. So, while Jacob was going through the library books, I went on-line. His teacher had told him that he could use up to two resources from the Internet. Of course, he waited until the eleventh hour to get started on his paper and so, even though I was angry with him for putting it off for so long, I told him I’d help him with his research. When my older son, Jacob, was in the ninth grade, he had to do a research paper and his topic was the WPA. What was your initial inspiration for creating this book? This interview was conducted via email in 2001.

This foray into nonfiction by Schmitzer and super-versatile Appelt is a must-read not only for librarians and their fans but also history buffs and particularly those who enjoy books with strong, real-life girls and women. A fascinating and inspirational look at the courageous and determined women who brought books to the rural areas of Kentucky during the Great Depression. DOWN CUT SHIN CREEK: PACK HORSE LIBRARIANS OF KENTUCKY by Kathi Appelt and Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer (HarperCollins, 2001).

Down Cut Shin Creek by Kathi Appelt