In 1935, America was in the grip of the Great Depression. Families in the hills of Appalachia faced more than hunger — they faced isolation. Factories stood silent, breadlines stretched long, and in the remote valleys of eastern Kentucky, access to schools or public libraries was almost nonexistent. Yet in the middle of that despair, a quiet army rose. They carried no weapons. They carried books. They were called the Book Women. A Program Born in Crisis The Pack Horse Library