“Fahrenheit 451”

 

Where to start to unpack this novel…

Superficially: the dog at the fire station reminded me of the automata from Rachel Caine’s series “The Great Library”

A little deeper: alternative history “facts”…”Established in 1790, to burn English-influenced books in the colonies. First Fireman: Benjamin Franklin.” (32)

This hits a little closer to home in 2025. Trump’s administration stripping history to tell his version of the past, using DEI as a weapon against our collective memory.

Thought provoking: when we stop asking “why” we lose the threads of our past, our heritage, and ultimately our future. Our memories preserve the past. Our collective records make those memories visible to all. Viewing the past through rose colored glasses serves no-one.

Lesson learned: history should be objective, without bias, without a clouded vision of the future.

“The Personal Librarian”

HISTORICAL FICTION

Belle daCosta Green (aka Belle Marion Greener)

Personal Librarian to JP Morgan

I’m not sure what hit me the hardest…the fact that a woman in 1908 was entrusted with seeking out rare manuscripts for JP Morgan, or the fact that she was African American and “passing” as white.

What a delicate balance her life was. Socializing with the “robber barons” all the while looking over her shoulder to see if she’d been found out. Secrets. Love. Shadows. Jealousy. Trust. High Society. Family. Responsibilities.

Not only did she earn Morgan’s trust and respect, she shouldered the responsibility of being the primary breadwinner for her family. Working tirelessly. Being ruthless in her pursuit of rare antiquities to fill the library. Seeing the bigger picture in creating a library open to the public, and not just the privileged few. All this before women even had the right to vote.

There were pitfalls to her life choices…primarily the loss of a relationship that would have included marriage and children. How did her mother and siblings, who also “passed” but managed to have traditional lives, view her? As a beloved sister, daughter? A meal ticket? A means to an end? What price did Greener truly pay for her professional successes?