Once again, I feel compelled to yell from the rooftop – If you like historical fiction, READ THIS BOOK! If you are just looking for a compelling story, READ THIS BOOK! If you are interested in exploring the role race plays in America, READ THIS BOOK! Can I make it any clearer for you? READ THIS BOOK!!!!
The Personal Librarian is the factionalized account of Belle de Costa Greene, personal librarian of J.P. Morgan. Greene was singlehandedly responsible for pulling together one of the world’s greatest collections of important printings of early English works as well as an outstanding gathering of paintings by masters of the Italian Renaissance. Miss Greene was respected as an art expert in the early decades of the 20th Century in both America and Europe. What makes Belle de Costa Greene an even more interesting figure is that she accomplished all of this as an African-American woman who passed as white in order to succeed, fully knowing that if her secret were discovered, it would result in catastrophe for both herself and her family.
Beautifully written with an eye for historical accuracy, The Personal Librarian is an outstanding portrait of an era in American history that shares many parallels with the one we are currently living in at the beginning of the 21st Century. With lush descriptions of illuminated manuscripts, prized art collections, and the social gatherings of New York’s upper class, The Personal Librarian explores the Gilded Age with remarkable clarity while comparing that life with the plight of minorities existing just a few blocks away. A struggle that occurs just after the Supreme Court overturned the Civil Rights Act of 1875, Jim Crow laws were taking hold, and segregation was becoming the rule of the land. The novel is both endearing and heartbreaking at the same time. Read this novel and you will gain a new perspective that I think will forever change you. READ THIS NOVEL!
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