The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict (PDF)

Description

The Instant New York Times Bestseller! A Good Morning America* Book Club Pick!Named a Best Book of the Year by NPR! Named a Notable Book of the Year by the Washington Post! “Historical fiction at its best!”* 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.In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture in New York City society and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for her impeccable taste and shrewd negotiating for critical works as she helps create a world-class collection.But Belle has a secret, one she must protect at all costs. She was born not Belle da Costa Greene but Belle Marion Greener. She is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and a well-known advocate for equality. Belle’s complexion isn’t dark because of her alleged Portuguese heritage that lets her pass as white—her complexion is dark because she is African American.The Personal Librarian tells the story of an extraordinary woman, famous for her intellect, style, and wit, and shares the lengths she must go to—for the protection of her family and her legacy—to preserve her carefully crafted white identity in the racist world in which she lives.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is a thought-provoking work of historical fiction. Belle da Costa Greene was an intelligent, ambitious, capable, determined woman, hired as the personal librarian of J.P. Morgan, one of the most wealthy, powerful, and ruthless men in the financial sector. Belle was a shrewd negotiator and skillfully curated collections of rare manuscripts, books and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library, and this alone, a woman in a position of power during the time period, would be an incredible story, but Belle was black, passing as white, and the sacrifices she made, pressures she endured, and the struggles she encountered to secret her identity in order to protect her family, their safety, their financial security, and their dreams, elevated the story and the importance that it gets told.Belle’s father was the first person of color to have graduated from Harvard; he was a civil rights activist who for a brief period experienced the hope of equality, but shortly thereafter had it all taken away. Belle’s mother, finding no other satisfactory alternative, decided to have her family pass as white in order to achieve the success and financial security she knew they deserved; her decision will fracture the family. At times, her mother infuriated me; at others, I felt compassion for her.Belle carried the burden for the family. She held the most public position and she was the most successful. Her family depended upon her salary. Belle had to watch her every word and movement. She could not marry or have a child. She was living a dangerous lie. If ever discovered, she and her family could be imprisoned or killed.It is truly amazing what Belle was able to accomplish. With the creation of the internet, “passing” is almost an impossibility today. Although there has been progress, more than a century later many of the same injustices, discrimination, and prejudices continue to exist.

⭐The one thought that ran through my mind throughout this excellent book was not that this black woman passed as white. Instead, I was so impressed with how this brilliant woman achieved so much stature and recognition at a time when women were thought of as second class citizens. She arose far above the expectations for women of that time, and did it with her intelligence, tenacity, and hard work. This is a story about a woman who knew that if she succeeded she would be able to support her family and give them the things they needed to get ahead. Her selfless dedication to her work brought her the success and recognition that so few women could achieve at that time in history. And of course it is true that she wouldn’t have had that success if she were living as a black woman. But she even surpassed the expectations of white women of the time. Great story.

⭐I am blown away by the weaving of an incredible story of a woman with courage and wisdom who took the world by storm. The authors sensitivity doesn’t dance around the problems, but goes in with both feet to offer up to the reader the problems of a protagonist who has two strikes against her. She is female, which our society has somewhat corrected. She is also a woman of color which I fear may never be corrected as long as we humans think there needs to be someone who we think is lower than we are.If I could I’d give this book ten stars. I LOVED this book.

⭐The Personal Librarian was a great read. I learned so much about Belle de Costa Greene and her amazing contribution to the Pierpont Morgan Library. She was certainly years ahead of her time as she was forced to hide her true identity knowing that she would have to pass as a white woman if she was to remain in the employ of J.P. Morgan. He would not have hired her if he knew she was actually black or colored as was the term they used in those days.

⭐This is my first time reading Ms. Benedict’s writing and I would like to thank her and her co-author, Victoria C. Murry for bringing the story of Belle da Costa Greene to our attention and our reading pleasure.I am anxious to read one of Ms. Murry’s novels to see if I can tell which parts of this story were written by each author.Its wonderful that so many stories are being published about the accomplishment of women from different backgrounds. For too long they have been buried under the often inflated stories of supposedly great men. I am amused when I read the TRUE historical facts of events in history that have been immortalized by falsehoods, all to puff up men’s egos.This is a fictionalized story based on facts that can be researched and proven. What is factionalized are the conversations between characters, NOT the events that occurred in Belle’s life. She was a remarkable person who was highly valued by Mr. Pierpont Morgan and his family. She was a mover and shaker not in just the international art world but in New York society. She constantly walked a tightrope between two worlds being a black women passing as white during a time when she could have been killed for doing so. Its stressful enough being a black person in this world let alone one pretending to be white, particularly during pre integration.Without Belle da Costa Greene the Pierpont Morgan Library may not have become the great library of antiquities it is today, a source of study and wonder for all Americans.Thank you Ms. Benedict and Ms. Murry for such and intriguing story.

⭐This was our ‘Book Club’ choice & was very well received. Everyone, absolutely everyone loved it. Based on a true story we all felt it would make an excellent film. Difficult to put down!

⭐What an incredible book. I was totally immersed from the beginning, a definite must-read, totally engrossing drawing you in – fab!!

⭐Story of a black woman forced to ‘pass’s white in order to use her phenomenal mind and skills to build one of the top library/ museums in the world. I did skip a few pages when they were listing books snd paintings by the score but that was a necessary part to unveil her tremendous talents. If I knew more I would have been even more impressed I suppose. This was 100 years ago. Have we improved even an inch?

⭐The elegant language clearly defines the educated upper class during the early1900’s. One not only meets the rich & famous of New York & Europe, but also the artistic items they must acquire to display their enormous wealth. Based on a true story, the novel’s constant thread teaches the reader of the “acceptable” racial & gender divisions of the period.

⭐It’s New York, 1900s and a young librarian of African American background becomes JP Morgan’s right hand building an unrivalled collection of early manuscripts and books. Yet she has been raised by her African American mother never to reveal that she is Black, a decision that separates the family from their activist father. Heavily anchored in fact this book is a jaw dropping page turner.

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