“The Personal Librarian” by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

This well-written fictional account is based on a remarkable woman, Belle de Costa Greene, an African-American woman in the early 1900s who passed as a white woman in order to support her family and was hired to enlarge and catalogue the extraordinary art and rare books of Mr. J.P. Morgan.  The novel drags a bit in places but is nonetheless interesting as it details Belle’s relationships with both her family and J.P Morgan, and describes how she used her vast knowledge and shrewd negotiation to become one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, helping to create a world-class reference library, and becoming a fixture in New York City society, all while her racial identity was a secret that could destroy everything.   4 Stars