Women and Books Discussing The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray

In-Person and Virtual Program

Join the book club for a hybrid (in-person and online) discussion of The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray.

This is a hybrid event and will be hosted in-person in the Community Meeting Room at West Hollywood Library as well as on WebEx Meetings via the following link:

https://lacountylibrary.webex.com/lacountylibrary/j.php?MTID=maa8a00d769f8b023cc81d2d603b7184c

Co-sponsored by the City of West Hollywood Women's Advisory Board. Please contact the library to borrow a print copy of the book. eBook and eAudiobook are available through Libby app/OverDrive.

This event is held in-person. LA County Public Health strongly encourages masks and physical distancing indoors regardless of vaccination status. Masks will continue to be available for customers upon request. Please see the Guidelines for Attendees during the registration process for more information.

Summary provided by the publisher:

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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