The Personal Librarian

_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?