The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, 2021
A fictionalized account of J.P. Morgan's librarian who built up the Pierpont Morgan Library and its leading collection of literary items, The Personal Librarian was a gift from a friend whom I met up with in NYC.
Belle Marion Greener is a black woman, whose light skin allows her and her family to 'pass' as white people.
During the 1900s, being white accorded Belle and her family opportunities that would not be allowed to them if they were Black.
The sacrifice the family makes to live as a white family in New York City include the loss of their father Richard Theodore Greener, the first black graduate of Harvard in 1870 and a black activist who refuses to live as a white family.
Belle also sacrifices her family name Greener, a well-respected and powerful family in Washington, D.C.
She becomes Belle da Costa Greene, a name is referencing her fabricated Portuguese heritage to explain Belle's darker skin tone and curlier hair.
Despite the oppressive secret that Belle must maintain at work, she thrives as Morgan's personal librarian. Her knowledge and cunningness in acquiring rare works impress both Morgan and historian collectors in both American and London.
She becomes a celebrated example of a career woman, rising to the top of her industry while befriending New York City's elite social circle, including the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts.
She is also feted by the city's creative elites, including Aurthur Stieglitz. Her paths cross with Bernard Berenson, an Italian Renaissance expert who authored a book that Belle would read with her father growing up.
Berenson is also the buyer for Isabelle Stewart Gardiner. He is also in an open marriage with his wife Mary, and despite the secrets that Berenson keeps and his questionable character, Belle is drawn to him and begins an affair with him.
There is a hint of attraction between Belle and Morgan in the novel, a rumor during the time, but not anything substantiated.
It is an incredible story of what Belle was able to achieve in business, not only as a women when women were faced so many discriminatory behaviors, but in constant fear of being outed for who she really was.
In the story, Belle's light skin is referenced as the a reminder of the violence her ancestors endured. I am embarrassed to admit that I had never realized the origin of light skinned blacks...
I am also embarrassed to admit that when my husband visited the Morgan Library a few years ago with his father and noted how magnificent the library was, I was unimpressed.
Now, I can't wait to visit the libary and see what Belle was able to build.
