Hi everyone, this week’s post is an adult historical read I found sometime last year. Once I had read it I found out quite a bit about a particular period in American history regarding education and teachers; which strangely happened to be my theme for last month! Interesting how our choices end up being linked from one to another…
Title: The Moonlight School
Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher
Genre: Fiction – historical
Publication details: Revell; Grand Rapids, MI, 2021
ISBN: 9780800735012 (Paperback)
What this book is about: It is the spring of 1911 and Lucy Wilson has arrived in Rowan County, Kentucky to assist her cousin, Cora Wilson Stewart, superintendent of schools. A fish out of water, Lucy is appalled by the primitive conditions and intellectual poverty she encounters. Born in those very hills, Cora knows the twin plagues of illiteracy and poverty. So does Brother Wyatt, a singing school master who travels through the hills. Involving Lucy and Wyatt, Cora hatches a plan to open the schoolhouses to adults on moonlit nights. The best way to combat poverty, she believes, is to eliminate illiteracy. As Lucy emerges from a life in the shadows, she finds purpose, along with something else she hadn’t expected: love. Inspired by true events, this novel from bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher brings to life the story that shocked the nation into taking adult literacy seriously.
My review: A lovely historical read set around the turn of the 20th century in Kentucky. The description of the Appalachian mountains and the lives of those simple people who lived then were expertly written. I loved the way Lucy’s character grows during the whole book. I couldn’t believe that this was inspired by true events and found that my knowledge widened on American history. A truly mesmerisng read by an acclaimed historical fiction writer!!
My rating: 5 ⭐
Miss Mahee's Library of Reads 