Kim Michele Richardson

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Kim Michele Richardson
CitizenshipUnited States
OccupationWriter; Novelist
Notable work
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
Spouse(s)Joe Richardson
Websitehttps://www.kimmichelerichardson.com/

Kim Michele Richardson is an American writer.

Richardson spent her first decade in a rural Kentucky orphanage, Saint Thomas-Saint Vincent Orphan Asylum.[1] In 2004, she and her sisters, along with 40 other plaintiffs who had lived in the institution run by the Sisters of Charity order and the Roman Catholic Church sued for damages suffered through alleged years of abuse by their caretakers between the 1930s to the 1970s.[2] According to the suit, the children were sexually, physically, and emotionally abused by a priest, 15 nuns, and some others.[3][4] The suit was settled, marking the first time in United States history that victims received payment of damages from a Catholic orphanage as compensation for childhood abuses. Don Then of the NKy Tribune newspaper wrote, "The courage shown by Richardson and other orphans is evident in The Unbreakable Child."[5] Richardson recounted her experiences at the orphanage during the 1960s and 1970s in her memoir, The Unbreakable Child.[6]

In 2019 Richardson donated her author's advance to build Shy Rabbit, a writers residency retreat located in Kentucky. Richardson provides scholarships to low-income writers who are seeking a contemplative and tranquil place to work.[7]

Richardson's 2019 novel, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a fictionalised account of real subjects in the history of eastern Kentucky: Cussy Mary is one of the Packhorse Librarians who delivered books to remote areas of the Appalachian Mountains during the Great Depression, and a "Blue" — the last of a line of blue-skinned people, whose skin appears the unusual shade due to a rare genetic disorder. It spent 14 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list.[8] Several months after its publication, author Jojo Moyes released her own historical novel about the Pack Horse Library Project, The Giver of Stars.[9] Readers noticed significant similarities between the two stories[10] and Richardson claimed that "the disturbing similarities found in Moyes' book are too many and too specific and quite puzzling."[11] Richardson brought her suspicions to her publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark, who decided not to take any further action.[10][9][11]

Bibliography[]

Fiction

  • The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek (Sourcebooks Landmark, 2019); ISBN 1492691631; ISBN 978-1492691631
  • The Sisters of Glass Ferry (Kensington, 2017); ISBN 1496709551; ISBN 978-1496709554
  • GodPretty in the Tobacco Field (Kensington, 2016); ISBN 1617737356; ISBN 978-1617737350
  • Liar's Bench (Kensington, 2015): ISBN 9781617737336; ISBN 978-1617737336

Memoir

  • The Unbreakable Child (Kunati, 2009); ISBN 0615714692; ISBN 978-0615714691

References[]

  1. ^ "Courier Journal: Peter Smith Article". Courier Journal.
  2. ^ "Memoir Details Alleged Abuse at Orphanage, Peter Smith, Courier Journal, March 18, 2009". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  3. ^ Press, Ellen R. StapletonAssociated. "Sexual abuse crisis in Catholic church now includes nuns". Gadsden Times. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
  4. ^ Mon; Aug, 09; 2004 - 08:14 (2004-08-09). "Nuns accused in orphanage abuse scandal". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2020-11-04.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ "Don Then: The courage shown by Richardson and other orphans is evident in "The Unbreakable Child". | NKyTribune". Retrieved 2020-11-04.
  6. ^ "Author Interview with Kim Michele Richardson, Author of "The Unbreakable Child"". www.bookbundlz.com. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  7. ^ Richardson, Kim Michele. "How Writers Can Pay It Forward". Publishers Weekly. Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  8. ^ "Paperback Trade Fiction Books - Best Sellers - June 14, 2020 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  9. ^ a b "Jojo Moyes Has Been Accused Of Publishing A Novel With "Alarming Similarities" To Another Author's Book". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  10. ^ a b Bryan, Athena. "Jojo Moyes' new book bears". Melville House Books. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  11. ^ a b "PRH US stands by Jojo Moyes novel following claim of 'alarming similarities' to another book | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved 2020-10-20.

External links[]

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