The Personal Librarian
Marie Benedict en Victoria Christopher Murray_The Personal Librarian_ follows the story of Belle da Costa Greene, who was hired in the early twentieth century by J.P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books and artworks for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes hugely successful by purchasing rare manuscripts to build Mr Morgan’s collection.
But Belle has a secret, one she must protect at all costs. She was not born Belle da Costa Greene, but Belle Marion Greener, the daughter of Richard Greener, the first black graduate of Harvard and a well-known advocate for equality. She mentions an alleged Portuguese grandmother to hide her African-American origins and explain her slightly dark complexion.
The book shows the life of an extraordinary woman, famous for her intellect, style and wit. But in her personal life she struggles with her identity in the racist world in which she lives. This history couched in fiction is more than a biography of an amazing woman; as well as showing the struggles and achievements of a black woman in a white society, it confirms that racism was not only standard in the early twentieth century but also continues to persist today. But what about Belle? Will she be exposed and have to reveal her true identity?
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- J.P. Morgan’s personal librarian had two identities. It took two authors to tell her story.’ Natachi Onwuamaegbu, The Washington Post
- ‘The Personal Librarian is a good, well-paced creative nonfiction book about a real person that will snag the reader and hold his or her attention from beginning to end.’ Judith Reveal, New York Journal of Books, 29 June 2021
- ‘Strangely stuffy and muted’ Kirkus Reviews Issue: 15 April 2021. Review posted online: 30 March 2021
- ‘A remarkable novel about J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, the Black American woman who was forced to hide her true identity and pass as white in order to leave a lasting legacy that enriched our nation, from New York Times bestselling authors Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray.’ Princeton Book Review
- https://www.authormariebenedict.com
- https://www.goodreads.com
- https://www.kirkusreviews.com
- https://www.princetonbookreview.com
- https://www.themorgan.org
- https://victoriachristophermurray.com/author/
- https://www.washingtonpost.com
- https://www.wikipedia.org