The Personal Librarian

Written by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

A book for adult readers reviewed by Stefanie

    

In The Personal Librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, who was hired by J.P. Morgan to curate manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built library, has a secret. She is the daughter of Richard Greener, a civil rights activist who was Harvard University’s first black graduate. However, his wife claimed their family was white. This tore their family apart, so Richard eventually left his wife and children, who changed their surname to “Greene.” To pass as white, Belle, who added “da Costa” to her last name, claimed to have Portuguese ancestors as a way of explaining her complexion.

I picked this book because I wanted to read something different. It’s not usually the kind of book I read, but it was interesting. This story was really different and offered an interesting perspective.