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The Personal Librarian: A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel)
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Original price was: $17.00.$12.99Current price is: $12.99.
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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.
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Categories: Women Writers
Product name:
The Personal Librarian: A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel)
Price:
Original price was: $17.00.$12.99Current price is: $12.99.
Lois F. Withers –
This book will bring a new understanding of what black women faced after slavery ended. To need to hide who you are in order to do your heart’s work should not need to happen because of a characteristic beyond your control which in this case is color. It’s simply wrong and it’s too bad it divided her family also. And she still built a wonderful collection of books and art for the library.
Diana –
This book depicts an era of history and characters with which I am somewhat familiar, but did not realize the impacts of skin colour on chosen lives. It outlines the courage of one women, who rises to power against the odds, but not without the perils of being mixed-race in a white man’s world. It demonstrates her ability to use her knowledge to advantage, but she is not without being manipulated herself. This book is a well written and researched novel about a relatively unknown woman – Bella de Costa, the personal librarian to JP Morgan.
Maria Teresa Caso –
Es una historia novelada pero los personajes existieron. Muy entretenida. La lees muy rápido
Kenneth D. Schultz –
I found The Personal Librarian to be both enjoyable and educational, which in my opinion is what historical fiction should be. The book’s protagonist is a most remarkable woman, Belle da Costa Greene. Why was she remarkable? In 1905 at age twenty-six she became the personal librarian of J. P. Morgan for his new Pierpont Morgan Library. Morgan had at the time one of the world’s premier collections of rare books and illustrated manuscripts. Ms. Greene soon became much more than a librarian for Morgan, becoming his agent at auctions in the U.S. and overseas. Her drive, intelligence, determination, and Morgan’s money soon made the collection one of the best in the world. This was at the time when women were rare in the rare book world.
But, Belle da Costa Greene was even rarer. She was born Bell Marion Greener to a black father and mother. Her father, Richard Theodore Greener, was the first black student and graduate of Harvard in 1870. Upon her parents’ divorce, her mother chose to pass as a white of Portuguese heritage. Her fair complected sisters could do this easily. For the somewhat darker-skinned Belle this was more of a challenge.
Much of the book deals with the social and emotional costs of passing for white, including her relationship with black family members. The events of the book take place against the regression away from racial equality that occurred during this time period, a regression of which I was only vaguely aware.
Other interesting aspects of the book were the portrayal of J.P. Morgan, and the intricacies and duplicities of the artworld.
An ongoing theme of the book is Greene’s evident romance with art historian Bernard Berenson, who, ironically, was a Lithuanian Jew posing as a Catholic Bostonian.
I gave the book four stars, instead of five, as it seemed it could have been more alive and visceral. By all accounts when you were in a room with Belle, you knew she was there. Reading about her, I didn’t get the same feeling. The third person approach used was a little too distant for me, and I think the story would have benefited by a first person narrative.
I visited the library many years ago, and didn’t then fully appreciate it. A return visit is now in order.
Zoey Roosevelt –
And at what price did she build it?
By choosing to heed her mother’s advice, Belle chose to risk identifying as being a white woman in public, during post the Reconstruction era. To any non-black person, Belle’s light skin, anglicized name, and her love of art history played into the elite white psyche. They blindly decided that she is one of their own.
During the time capture in this novel (1905 to 1924), and after the Dyer Bill was filibustered in 1877, blacks who tried to have agency were deemed disrespectful, out of their place and only worthy of being lynched. In particular, the filibuster argument was that they needed to be able to lynch the freed blacks to protect their white women from being raped.
So, when Belle’s mother insisted that they all change their name, and identify in every way to the public as having a Portuguese heritage, Belle’s fate was chosen for her.
And because a daughter’s first mirror is her mother, Belle studied who she needed to be, how she needed to maintain decorum, and how to talk in a way that black women weren’t and aren’t free to talk amongst wealthy businessmen.
She studied how to be coquettish, how to think on her feet, and to deflect whenever necessary. Each successful business transaction and interaction became a cause set in motion towards her simultaneously being more visible to society and more at risk for getting caught. The price of which would impact not only her livelihood, but also that of her mother and siblings.
It was interesting to “watch” the struggles that she went through over her question of whether she should have followed her mother’s path, or that of her father, which was the antithesis of her mother’s focus. Her father fought for civil rights, because he believed that some day black folks would be judge by their character. Yet, her mom, based upon witnessing every day blacks being lynched to death for their desire to be integrated socially, politically and economically, in her mind, it was only possible to be successful and free if their entire family takes advantage of looking white by choosing to be white.
While reading this book, at first, I wanted to side with Belle’s dad, because to me, owning your voice, being your authentic self gives you peace of mind. Identifying as someone who you are not has always meant to me as lying to myself and destroying the chance of align your personality with your soul. I also saw the pressure Belle lived with when her father left the family because he could no longer live in the dichotomy of “Choose to be white to be successful”, or “Choose to be black to own our right to matter” that existed.
Of course, my mindset was based upon living in a freeing society that 1877 to 1924 did not know. Also, we have the benefit born out of the Belle’s in our history, to speak up and be heard. Yet, one hundred years later, June 2024, black women, or any person of color, much modulate their approach to success according to societal unspoken rules.
Yes. Belle built the J.P. Morgan wealth by choosing to be white, at the price of her own peace of mind. As a white woman, she could name a price of art, negotiate with old cronies, and close the deal as if she just bent her arm. That wouldn’t have happened had she identified as a black woman, back then. The wealth that she amassed for the Piermont Librarian counted upon her ability to not only study art, network with the best in the business, but also study what it meant to be an influential white woman. If she was going to have to abandon her ethnicity for the sake of her immediate family, she was going have to perpetually study being who she needed to be, and who, as a white woman, she would have licensed to be. She wasn’t free to look a black servant in the eye, for fear that they would report her to the public as being one of them. The only way she saw her biological family was through carefully planned trips that were out of the view of the socially elite.
Ultimately, she mastered the public persona, though she struggled with the lie she had to continually nourish and preserve.
Like “The First Ladies”, this was an excellently written book that truly helped me to be part of U.S. History.
One hilarious moment that reading this book in public was: after waiting a bit for my banker to be available, seeing me reading this book in my hand, she asked, “What are you reading?” My enthusiastic response was, “Oh this is a great historical novel about how a black woman 100 years ago made J.P. Morgan’s wealth.”
The look on her face was priceless.
Margaret Hejmanowski –
I love all things Marie Benedict, and this does not disappoint! An amazing story of whites vs blacks. Is Bella white or black, or does it matter? An enlightening historical story! Love the plot, great settings, and strong intense interesting characters!!! I look forward to reading more from Ms. Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray!!!
Emily –
Excellently written book revealing the racial tension in the early 19th century in the USA and life of talented, ambitious, and smart librarian and art collector. An easy read that allows you to learn about history and art.
Nina R D –
This book is well written and thought provoking. The descriptions of the time period and the settings are rich with details, enabling the reader to feel fully immersed in Belle’s world.
The fact that this book is based on a true character of such success and acclaim, but of whom I was completely unaware as a 62 year old woman, was a tragic testament to the racist and sexist educational system in America. Her contributions to America in bringing rare treasures into the public realm cannot be overstated. Her courage and sacrifice to be living in such a dangerous time for people of color that she was forced to hide her true identity, is a tragic lesson that we all should be taught and reflect upon, in hopes that we can finally overcome the racism that poisons our society.
I give this book my highest recommendation and will be seeking out more volumes by these authors.
bea –
Sin ser una novela perfecta, cuenta una historia tan interesante y en una época tan difícil para las personas de color, que la he leído con mucho interés hasta el final.
Recomendable
Lis Vaessen-Özönder –
However the book was not badly written, it feels as if the authors couldn’t decide what to put in the book and where to put emphasis on.
Is it the pieces of art/the manuscripts? Or is it the segregation? Or is it the love affair? It was a bit too much of everything, therefore a bit messy.
So, I finished the book because I obliged myself and it wasn’t bad. But certainly not a favorite.
Since I can’t rate 3,5 stars, I’m giving 3.