The Personal Librarian

Some of my readers need to know that this book is NOT about the Personal Librarian concept employed at some colleges. However, it is a fictional account of Belle da Costa Green, The Personal Librarian of millionaire J.P. Morgan. This new book, co-written by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, provides a behind the scenes look at her experiences serving as the first director of the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York City.

Serving as the library's first director, Belle da Costa Greene was in charge of developing and cataloging Morgan's collection of art and rare manuscripts. Doing so, provided her the opportunity to rub shoulders with the creme de la creme of New York as well as top art and rare book and manuscript scholars and collectors from aroud the world. During the early part of the 20th century, this was a plum position for a woman in a very patriarchal society. However, da Costa Greene also had some family secrets she was hiding. Her family background makes her accomplishments all the more significant.

The Personal Librarian is an enjoyable look at New York society in the early 20th century. The rich and powerful of the U.S.A and the numerous societal shifts that are beginning to take place in terms of women's suffrage, civil rights, and the sexual revolution are included. Being about a librarian who made significant contributions to the field and to history makes the story that much more interesting.

I received a complementary copy of The Personal Librarian from Berkley Publishing via NetGalley. I am not required to provide a positive review.

Reading the Times

When I first picked up Reading the Times: A Literary and Theological Inquiry into the News by Dr. Jeffrey Bilbro, I expected to learn how to better engage with the news which surrounds us via our social media feeds and constant access to the internet. What I found was that this recently published book from InterVarsity Press provided so much more.

After an introduction on "Reading the News in Order to Love Our Neighbors," which is worth the price of the price of the book, Dr. Bilbro, an English professor, focuses on the concepts of attention, time, and community and how they related to our new consumption. Each part contains three chapters which describe the concept, how it relates to our news consumption, and then addresses how to incorporate these new habits into our lives in chapters titled "Liturgies of" the concept. This pattern allows Bilbro, and his readers, the opportunity to dive deep into the concept and then determine how the concept can be implemented in their life. The thesis throughout the book is that Christians should interact with the news seeking to discover how should we love our neighbors and how should we live faithfully in light of eternity. Approaching news with this mindset, allows us to focus on what truly matters but also requires us to reconsider who is our neighbor and where or what is our community. While not anti-technology or social media, Bilbro reminds readers that too often community is formed based on what news media you consume and devolves into taking sides rather than being based on where you live, who are your neighbors, and how can you show Christ's love to them.

Bilbro draws from a variety of interdisciplinary subjects including philosophy and history as well as literature and theology to explore attention, time, and community. He pulls in examples from history and current events and his research is well-documented via extensive footnotes. As such, this book could be used as a textbook or supplementary reading in a variety of courses. Beyond the classroom, Reading the Times is highly recommended to any Christian who wishes to read the news, and the times, from a theological point of view.

I received a complementary copy of Reading the Times from InterVarsity Press via NetGalley. I am not required to provide a positive review.

The Girl Behind the Wall

For many years, the Berlin Wall separated East and West Berlin, dividing not only the city but in some cases entire families as well. That is exactly the situation in The Girl Behind the Wall by Mandy Robotham. Imagine waking up one morning to find that your twin sister is stuck on the other side of the wall. Using all available resources, they try to reunite but without success for most of the book.

Robotham, well know for her World War II novels, takes on a similar but different topic in this work. The focus is not on which side was right or wrong--although the portrayal of the East German Stasi was chilling, but instead how the wall impacted this particular family. The bonds unique to twins as well as families in general, and the tension between family and love are displayed. Robotham provides background information on how decisions made during World War II impacted the main characters in the Cold War era. Robotham portrays characters in the Communinst East Berlin who are kind, caring and compassionate as well as characters in the West who look out only for themselves and vice versa. While today, the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 seems like it was some time ago and World War II way before then, this story was a great reminder that these events are still recent history and impacted real people.

The Girl Behind the Wall is an excellent look at a part of history that is often over-looked.

I received a complementary copy from NetGalley. I am not required to provide a positive review.

Dear White Peacemakers

Before seeing the description for the recently published book Dear White Peacemakers, I wasn't familiar with Osheta Moore. After finishing this book, I am definitely more familiar with her as she addresses her readers as friend. As her writing comes from her heart and her experiences, she definitely wries as one frend to another and frequently mentions the drinks or food she would serve if we were at her table. I have followed her on social media and encourage you do so too!

Dear White Peacemakers: Dismantling Racism with Grit and Grace has so many "WOW!" moments throughout the book. I was reading an e-copy, and my notes option was being used frequently. I would often stop to read a section out loud to my husband or other family members. Moore does a wonderful job of meshing her own experiences, current events, and some research. As she lives in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region, she had a front row seat to George Floyd's tragic and untimely death and draws upon that as well as other racially fueled deaths and instances over the last few years. This experience combined with her own experiences and leading an anti-racism study tour provides numerous resources for her to draw upon.

I don't want to give away all of Moore's best content, but I do want to provide a taste of what you will learn. A key concept Moore emphasizes, as you can tell by the title, is the importance of peacemaking rather than peacekeeping. Moore explains that peacekeeping is status quo while peacemaking is "partnering with God to create shalom." She also emphasizes throughout the book that an importance part of peacemaking is to refrain from dehumanizing other people. Moore indicates that White Supremacy has dehumanized others and that as peacemakers we much remember that everyone is a human created in the image of God and that we must reclaim humanity for all people. Throughout Dear White Peacemakers, Moore references the Sermon on the Mount frequently as well as other scripture passages.

As a librarian who teaches information literacy and evaluation of information, several sections of Dear White Peacemakers stood out specifically. In one section, Moore notes that white supremacy emphasizes researched information that has been written and published over lived experiences. This was a great reminder of how publishing and information in general privileges certain populations and disadvantages others and the importance of seeking out diverse opinions and viewpoints. Moore also cautions individuals who may wish to express solidarity with individuals of other ethnic backgrounds by appropriating holidays, celebrations, and symbols. Moore emphasizes a difference between appreciating other cultures and appropriating it into your own. She encourages individuals to "cite their sources" by naming the specific person or place from where it comes.

Each chapter begins with a scripture passage and a letter from Moore to Dear White Peacemakers where she shares personally an introduction to the chapter's content. Likewise, each chapter ends with a scripture and a breath prayer based on the scripture passage. My one regret while reading the book is that I didn't stop to write each of the breath prayers down for later use. Dear White Peacemakers is not a book you read quickly but is a book you need to sit with for a while. I feel it is a book I will return to frequently.