The read is as easy and comfortable as if one were riding one's own pack horse on the easy parts of the Kentucky terrain, with scenery passing by and sharing its secrets. But the secrets one encounters are less than comfortable. Darkness, hardship, heartbreak, and utterly infuriating ignorance are all part of the landscape. Characters are overly simplistic, like comic book good guys and bad guys. Regardless, the story is enjoyable and informational, with characters who break one's heart. More than once I found myself investigating the blue people of Kentucky, thoroughly intrigued by this anomaly of which I had been completely ignorant. Some socio- political themes are mentioned, dropped in the book in case one would like to dive into them more deeply.
But the themes are really just dropped, not carried or expanded. This book is a great read for young people, 5th grade on up, I would think. The end is a bit clipped, as if the author ran out of time. Or maybe it is intentional. Maybe all endings are clipped, uncertain, unknown, and blended into the landscape.