Christy by Catherine Marshall

Mountain View/Artwork by Kate Dorsey

                It has taken me years to read this book.  Absolutely years.  I would start it, then for some reason stop because it would not keep me attention.  This happened more than once, and it almost happened this time too.  Then I finally got through the part holding me up.  After this, it was still a slow story for a while, until I hit a certain point and it flew.            

                Christy Huddleston feels she must go to Cutter Gap in the Smoky Mountains and become a teacher.  She is only nineteen and used to a somewhat privileged way of life in Asheville.  After hearing a missionary named Dr. Ferrand speak about a Quaker woman named Alice Henderson, Christy knows her life must change.  She is meant to become a teacher.

                Christy has all sorts of ideas about how things will be when she sets out for Cutter Gap.  Right away upon her arrival at the closest train station in El Pano, Christy finds out all her expectations are wrong.  No one is at the station to pick her up.  With no way to get to Cutter Gap that night, Christy has to find a place to stay for the night, as well as a way to get to her new home in the morning.

                Thankfully, Christy is able to find a boarding house.  It is run by Mrs. Tatum, and when she learns where Christy is headed, she warns Christy to return home to Asheville.  She tries to explain to Christy exactly what she will be facing in Cutter Gap, but Christy doesn’t take her seriously.  In truth, Mrs. Tatum understands the situation far more than Christy.

                The next morning, Christy tags along with postman Ben Pentland to get to Cutter Gap.  He’s reluctant to have her with him as he does not think Christy can handle the miles-long trek in the snow.  Still, he has her come along, as he is her best option to get her to where she needs to go.

                It is with this long walk Christy begins to see and understand what her new life will be like.  Not only is the road hard to walk, but an emergency forces her to witness the medical care available.  In the middle of someone’s house, a surgery is done on a skull.  It’s not done in a hospital, but a house.

                Christy gets even more shocks when she finally reaches Cutter Gap and starts teaching.  The children are dirty, smelly, and many don’t have shoes.  They are also of all ages, with some eager to learn, but not all.  The skill level amongst even children the same age is different.  Teaching these children is going to be a challenge, and Christy knows she is going to need more than she’s been provided in order give these children the education she has in mind.

                Needing help, Christy writes to different businesses asking for donations.  The response is incredible.  The businesses donate far more than she ever expected they would, making her very happy and excited.

                Not everyone else feels the same, though.  Alice Henderson, the founder of the school, and the local minister, David Grantland, feel directly asking for donations was obtrusive and impulsive.  They also do not feel it was a Godly thing to do.  (Just a note, this book is heavy on religion.)

                Feeling chastised by those around her, Christy tries to work with what she has.  The problem is, she still has so many ideas about how to change things.  Changes she feels will really help the families of Cutter Gap.

                One of the people also eager for change is Fairlight Spencer.  A woman with children, Fairlight askes Christy to teach her how to read.  From there a friendship is formed.  It is a friendship that helps Christy see this mountain community in an entirely new way.

                Even after this new understanding of the community, there are things Christy has a hard time handling.  The violence and grudges between families is one of the biggest.  She does not understand how there can be so many killings and damage to people and things.  Even the schoolroom gets destroyed after a new shipment of supplies comes in.  The room is destroyed because Christy is making changes some people don’t like.

                As devastating as the destroyed schoolroom is, the tail and mane getting cut off the mission’s horse is even worse.

                Still, despite what is going on around her, Christy becomes more certain in what she is doing.  David, on the other hand, becomes more uncertain.  On a whim, he asks Christy to marry him.  Unsure this is what she wants, Christy wisely asks for more time.  It is time she spends getting to know David more and falling in love, but still something is holding her back.  Dr. Neil MacNeill entering the picture makes her question things even more.

                There are some things to keep in mind when reading this book.  First, it was written in the 1960s and set in 1912.  The mentality is very different.  I had a hard time every time Christy was told that as a young female she should not bother her mind with certain matters.  Also, there is A LOT of religion mentioned.  Christian religion.  It can be heavy handed at times, especially with Miss Alice.

                Other than that, this was a very good book.  The community dealing with typhoid felt particularly timely.  As I read about the community trying to keep the typhoid contained, and the struggle to give everyone the healthcare they needed, it felt very close to what the world is dealing with in relation to the Coronavirus.  Fortunately, unlike with Cutter Gap, in most places there are hospitals people can go to.  In Cutter Gap there was only one doctor and volunteer helpers.  Help was so limited, some families didn’t even ask for help when someone in their household became sick.  If they had, maybe more of the community would have lived.  This just shows how important good and accessible healthcare is, no matter what time of history we are in.

                With so much happening in this book, it's hard to believe it’s all set within eleven months, but that’s what happened.  Christy is a fictional account of a true story that teaches us life can change in a moment.  This book also shows us how many of those moments can happen in a year.  Far more than I think any of us even realize.