Senior Book Group: The Personal Librarian

January's title is The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray: The remarkable story of Belle da Costa Greene, hired by tycoon J.P. Morgan to curate the rare manuscripts, books, and artwork of his Pierpont Morgan Library. She became a fixture in the New York society scene and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for her impeccable taste, shrewd negotiating, and curation of a first-class collection.

However, Belle has a secret she must protect at all costs, one which reflects her time and ours—that her complexion is not due to a Portuguese heritage, as she claims, but because she is the daughter of Richard Greener, first Black graduate of Harvard and famous advocate for equality. To preserve her family's safety and legacy, she must hide behind a carefully-crafted white identity or risk losing everything.