The Personal Librarian: A GMA Book Club Pick

The Personal Librarian is a fictional account of the life of Belle da Costa Greene, who managed the acquisition and collection of books and art for J. P. Morgan - his personal librarian, as it were, continuing with his son until her death in 1950, of cancer. During her life, she was most notable for aggressive style in the acquisition of books and art for Morgan, at a time when doing this as a woman was considered highly unusual. But there was another aspect of her life that only came out 49 years later, when a photographer noted that she had spent her entire life passing for white, while in fact, her father was the first black Harvard graduate, and a leader in the civil rights movement, which had regressed profoundly after the civil war, thanks to The Great Compromise of 1877, which led to Jim Crow. Marie Benedict, upon realizing the implications of this, enlisted a co author for the book, Victoria Christopher Murray, to try and concoct a fictional account of Belle da Costa Greene life, with some level of plausibility. I would say they succeeded admirably, even though of course we will never really know what her thoughts were at the time. I will say, much to my surprise, all the basic plot lines are tied nicely to historical facts. In fact, as historical fiction goes, Greene's thoughts notwithstanding, this book seems to have a historical accuracy that I have not experienced in many decades. What an amazing individual.

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is a compelling and deeply moving novel inspired by the life of Belle da Costa Greene, the brilliant woman who curated J.P. Morgan’s extraordinary library. What struck me most was how admirable she was — intelligent, cultured, strategic, and fiercely competent in a world dominated by powerful men. She did not merely survive in that world; she excelled in it. Belle was clearly a woman far ahead of her time — sharp, ambitious, and unafraid to assert her expertise — yet she had to constantly measure her words, her movements, even her identity. What makes her story both inspiring and heartbreaking is the secret she carried. Because of the rigid racial realities of her time, she chose to pass as white, hiding her Black heritage in order to protect her career and family. Whatever reasons she had, the fact remains that she achieved extraordinary success under immense pressure. She was an achiever in every sense of the word — negotiating rare manuscripts, shaping one of the greatest collections in history, and earning respect in elite circles — all while living with the fear that everything could collapse if her true background were exposed. The novel portrays her brilliance with warmth and admiration, and rightly so. Belle’s poise, taste, and intellect are undeniable. Yet there is a lingering sadness throughout the story. The fact that she burned much of her personal correspondence suggests that even toward the end of her life, she feared the repercussions of her skin color being fully known. That act feels symbolic — a final effort to control her narrative in a society that never fully allowed her to live freely in her own identity. It is difficult not to feel sorrow that she did not live to see a time when things would be better — perhaps not perfect, perhaps only slightly improved, but still better than what she endured. Her life is a testament to resilience, ambition, and brilliance under constraint. The Personal Librarian is ultimately a celebration of an extraordinary woman — one who was not only accomplished, but courageous in ways both visible and hidden.

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.

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is the fictionalized story of the real Belle da Costa Greene, personal librarian to financier J. P. Morgan and his heirs in the first half of the 20th century. Although vastly different in background and temperament, Morgan and Belle share an encyclopedic knowledge of, and passion for, old and rare manuscripts. Belle is not only the lone woman in charge of an acclaimed library, she is a consummate bidder against rich and powerful men when it comes to acquiring them. The novel, a trove of information about the treasured documents and the rarefied social world of the era’s elite, is ultimately about how those who collect and preserve the past simultaneously seek to hide their own personal history. In Belle’s case, she is passing for white. Others must hide their religion, sexual identity, or other characteristics that, if known, would make them outcasts in the society they are desperate to remain a part of. The authors do a masterful job balancing the tension between Belle’s inner and outer worlds as she relishes her accomplishments while living in constant fear of exposure. As a historical fiction writer myself (see my Amazon author page https://www.amazon.com/author/asewovenwords), I admire their ability to keep readers immersed in the narrative moment while simultaneously painting a detailed backdrop of the times in which the events occur. So much in this book is “just right” – details about the rare manuscripts, characterization, pacing. And as a testament to the “colored” woman who, in reality, brought an amazing private collection into the public domain, The Personal Librarian is a worthy addition to any library.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Robin Miles (also narrated “Just as I Am” by Cicely Tyson), and enjoyed it. This was the March selection for my book club (AAABDG). An historical account of Belle da Costa Greene. Genevieve, Belles' mother, having to create a Portuguese grandmother to disguise their Black heritage was a covert operation for the entire fate of the family. Teaching was the most common and revered profession for blacks during the time period, Belle’s mother was pro advocate for her becoming a teacher while her father envisioned Belle as a historian or arts scholar. It was her father that laid the groundwork for her career as personal librarian to J.P. Morgan. Belle taught herself Latin, and became very knowledgeable in an exclusively male world of art and rare book dealer. The chapters are short which makes for faster reading. I had moments of elation, sadness, joy, awe and admiration. I asked myself why was Belle a personal librarian and not titled a curator or dealer of antiquities, paintings, manuscripts and artifacts, and did J.P. Morgan feel about Blacks the same way he felt about Jews? The story takes place in 1905-1948 and follows Belle from city to city and country to country. Belle’s father sides with the views of Booker T. Washington, regarding his strategies with business owners and politicians and Willie DuBoise, in his views on his plans for the advancement of NAACP, in which mirrored his stance. The comparison between Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. DuBois. This was also mentioned in “A Pair of Wings” by Carole Hopson, in which blacks were siding with the philosophy of one or the other to determine their path of equality. It is a true and honest fact that many blacks owe their light skin to the sexual violence inflicted on enslaved black women by their white masters, and chose to pass as white as the best option to enhance their lifestyle for better housing, better jobs and pay, and equality. It meant estrangement from their families. I was not particularly pleased with Belle's romance with Berenson (a Lithuanian born Jew) whom harbored secrets of his own, as they were involved in a long term relationship. I was conflicted in whether he was truly in love with Belle or was he using her intellect and insights to gain advantages to his own art dealings. This novel was written during a pandemic, and racial injustice with the murder of George Floyd in 2021 in which the Civil Rights Act in 1883 that ushered in Jim Crow segregation and gave white supremacy and racial discrimination legal cover, the ramifications of which are felt to this day in 2022. There are still few opportunities open to blacks or anyone classified as nonwhite. As of 2022 we are striving to vote the first African American female Judge in the highest court of the land, the Supreme Court, but with much opposition. Overall, I learned a lot about the are world, travel to other countries during this era, especially for blacks, the culture during the Guilded Age Era, many historical places and people. I will value this read as a learning experience and highly recommend this book to bibliophiles, art historians, and history buffs. I look forward to doing more research into Belle da Costa Greene's life by reading some of the recommended material: "Am Illuminated Life: Belle da Costa Greene's Journey from Prejudice to Privilege" by Heidi Ardizzone, and "The White Problem" by Belle's father, Richard Greener.

And each one of us live in this same conflicted, confusing experience--insecure, uncertain, just finding our way as we go. To be forced to live an inauthentic life, no matter how necessary, is not "living," it is just another form of servitude-albeit preferred, by some, to destitution, it is but a half step to soul satisfaction, and maybe, no...that is as good as it gets in this...mysterious, opaque experience. Thank God it does not last!

This book has had outstanding success. A rich trove of information ( and tension filled story) that seems both on the edge of cultural memory (the gilded age, the focus on acceptance, acquisition of historic manuscripts, the flawed post civil war reconstruction and civil rights, ) and startlingly present (techbro billionaires, conspicuous displays of wealth, the continued gender and racial challenges present in the Western world, the challenges of women's leadership. That said, I feel given the rich material and subject matter that this book was rather lightweight in its treatment. The central character glides into High Society, seemingly never putting a step wrong. While she episodically worries and confronts the cost of her "passing", she seems to engage in one high risk venture after another (largely with great success) without any real issue or consequence. The story of Morgan's library and collection also seems to be glossed over...why was it important to him - was as much his public mask, as way to pass to as landed American aristocracy vs the son of a dry goods wholesaler? And ultimately, what was the legacy of Morgan's collection, did it indeed help advance learning and access, or was it a rich man's plaything. Almost wish this was less a work of fiction and more of in depth scholarship.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️’s to “The Personal Librarian”!!! Such a powerful historical fiction about JP Morgan’s personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene! She was an African American whose mother checked the “white” census box for her light skinned family and then went on to become the most powerful women in the art and book world!!! I was blown away by this sad but true story of Belle never being able to be her true self and always living in fear of being discovered!!! The book starts in 1905 when she is working for the Princeton University Library and takes you through her many amazing accomplishments where you completely fall in love with brave, smart, strong and determined Belle!!! Imagine for a minute her living, socializing and rubbing shoulders with the most powerful families of that time; The Morgans, Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, The Fricks and so many more, where no one knew her true identity and everyone admired her knowledge, negotiating skills and loyalty to JP Morgan….a truly magnificent story!!! Below are some very powerful lines from the book that I highlighted and also from the summary at the back of the book: “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.” When Belle realizes why her mom made the decision she did: “She adored being a Fleet. She gave up the identity she’d loved to live among people she abhorred, only for the betterment of her children” “As always, I hide in plain sight by standing firm and speaking boldly…..I feel triumphant as I stand before them, a colored woman in their white world” “You made yourself into the person you’ve become. He gave you the opportunity, but every bit of your success belongs to you.” Get reading as this is a MUST READ!!!!

A very interesting story, which was very inspiring. Although fiction, it was based on true life. Loved it and highly recommend this great read.

Loved this book, inspirational and full of interesting facts! In some ways we have come so far but some of the same issues are still present today.

I loved this book. What a wonderful way to get to know the real Belle Da Costa Green, the amazing true story about a truly impressive career of the personal librarian of Piermont Morgan and his legendary Morgen Library in New York. I wish I could go and visit the real library! A true story about a black women who passed as white woman written by a white author and her black co-author! It inspired me to go online to read a couple of Greens letters to her lover. All !! these letters are in the Morgan Library for everyone to read and research!

Muy bien escrito. Muy interesante, mantiene tu interés. No sabía la importancia que tuvo esta mujer.

Excellent historical fiction here highlights so many important issues… It explores the art world, women's rights and racism all in elegantly packaged novel that is difficult to put down. Telling the story of Belle da Costa Green's career as JP Morgan's personal librarian, it really brings you back to NYC in the early 20th century. Robert my eyes not only to this impressive historical figure but of the challenges of being a black woman in the early 1900s.