Join in the Fun!
Mark your calendars for our next virtual Book Nation Book Club discussion where we we talk with Victoria Christopher Murray about The Personal Librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, JP Morgan’s librarian, art and books in NYC, race, culture and identity, and more! You will have opportunity to ask questions live and can also submit them via email in advance or post in the chat during the discussion. Grab your copy of The Personal Librarian today and Happy Reading!
WHEN: Thursday, February 10th at 7:30PM ET
WHERE: Zoom (link sent out via email the day before the event)
BOOK: The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
AUTHOR GUEST: Victoria Christopher Murray
HOW TO JOIN: Send email with Book Nation Book Club – The Personal Librarian in subject line to jen@booknationbookclub.com.
We are looking forward to welcoming Victoria Christopher Murray to discuss The Personal Librarian which she co-authored with Marie Benedict.
A native of Queens, Victoria earned a B.A. in Communication Disorders from Hampton University and an MBA from New York University. Victoria spent ten years in Corporate America before launching her entrepreneurial venture, a Financial Services Agency for Aegon, USA where she managed the number one division for nine consecutive years.
Dubbed a Christian Fiction writer because no one else was writing about religious topics, Victoria trailblazed the literary scene penning more than 30 novels, co-writing with other authors, and ghostwriting for top talent across the country.
Victoria lives in Washington, D.C. She is a jogger, doting grandmother, and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Goodreads Summary
The remarkable, little-known story of Belle da Costa Greene, J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian—who became one of the most powerful women in New York despite the dangerous secret she kept in order to make her dreams come true, from New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict and acclaimed author Victoria Christopher Murray.
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 on the New York society scene 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 build 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 to which she must go—for the protection of her family and her legacy—to preserve her carefully crafted white identity in the racist world in which she lives.
