Miss Morgan's Book Brigade: A Novel

by Janet Skeslien Charles

Overview

From the New York Times bestselling author Janet Skeslien Charles and based on the true story of Jessie Carson—the American librarian who changed the literary landscape of France—this is “a moving tale of sacrifice, heroism, and inspired storytelling immersed in the power of books to change our lives” (Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author).

1918: As the Great War rages, Jessie Carson takes a leave of absence from the New York Public Library to work for the American Committee for Devastated France. Founded by millionaire Anne Morgan, this group of international women help rebuild destroyed French communities just miles from the front. Upon arrival, Jessie strives to establish something that the French have never seen—children’s libraries. She turns ambulances into bookmobiles and trains the first French female librarians. Then she disappears.

1987: When NYPL librarian and aspiring writer Wendy Peterson stumbles across a passing reference to Jessie Carson in the archives, she becomes consumed with learning her fate. In her obsessive research, she discovers that she and the elusive librarian have more in common than their work at New York’s famed library, but she has no idea their paths will converge in surprising ways across time.

Based on the extraordinary little-known history of the women who received the Croix de Guerre medal for courage under fire, Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade is a “rich, glorious, life-affirming tribute to literature and female solidarity. Simply unforgettable” (Kate Thompson, author of The Wartime Book Club).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781668008997
Publisher:	Atria Books
Publication date:	04/01/2025
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	707,399
Product dimensions:	5.31(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.88(d)

About the Author

Janet Skeslien Charles is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Paris Library. Her work has been translated into thirty-seven languages. She has spent a decade researching Jessie Carson (Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade) at The Morgan Library, the NYPL, and archives across France. Her shorter work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, The Sydney Morning Herald, LitHub, and the anthology Montana Noir. To connect, visit her website JSkeslienCharles.com, @JSkeslienCharles on Instagram, or @SkeslienCharles on Twitter.

Read an Excerpt

Prologue PROLOGUE
You can learn a lot about a life by looking in someone’s closet. I stand before mine, pondering which outfit to wear tonight, and thumb through fitted cardigans and slacks, remnants of a long career. Cramped to the side are relics of a past life: the witch’s hat and smock that pupils begged me to wear each Halloween; a wedding gown that didn’t quite make it to the altar; and the uniform of the American Committee for Devastated France—horizon blue, the same color that the French army wore. I can’t help but touch the hem of the skirt. Seventy years old, and the wool blend, warm and light, still embodies the quality that Paris is famous for. The stories this cloth could tell... the fabric of life during the Great War. It had seen love and hate, sacrifice and stinginess, longing and hope, despair and courage. Always courage.

My fingers continue along the sleeve, to the rust-colored stain on the cuff. No matter how we washed it—dabbed with seltzer water, soaked in iodine, scrubbed with Marseille soap—his blood wouldn’t come out. No matter. The material is nearly dark enough to conceal it, and the discoloration can be attributed to a splatter of ratatouille.

To free the uniform, I seize the shoulders and pull, allowing myself to cradle the jacket as if it were a woman I could embrace. Something digs into my chest. On the lapel, a medal hangs from a blue-and-white striped ribbon. The silver has tarnished, but I can make out the griffin, the symbol of the Cards. On the reverse is engraved DO RIGHT AND FEAR NO MAN.

If I don the uniform, would it fit? Only one way to find out. Yes, the jacket is elegant over my blouse. Encouraged, I shimmy out of my slacks, only to find that the skirt bites at the waist. Still, it feels right, as if the uniform wants to be worn. The final touch is the handkerchief, its cloth worn thin by time. I slide it into my pocket.

I glance at my watch. Nearly 7:00 p.m. The decision of what to wear has been made—if I don’t leave now, I’ll be late.

I rush from the apartment, up Fifth Avenue, to the New York Public Library. Shoulders squared, I march up the steps like I have thousands of times before. Upon my arrival in Manhattan, this was my school, my social life, my home.

In the hall, my fingertips trace scuff marks along the walls. Some may see imperfections, but I remember crates being delivered, a runaway book cart crashing down the staircase, and apprentices like me accidentally smudging the white paint with blotter ink that clung to our skin like perfume.

The past presses on me, memories fill the air. I clutch the handkerchief and know that now, finally, it’s time.

Editorial Reviews

02/19/2024

Charles (The Paris Library) follows up her bestselling debut with a dramatic story of war and literature in WWI France. In January 1918, Jessie Carson, a librarian for the New York Public Library, accepts an invitation from Anne Morgan, the daughter of J.P. Morgan and founder of the American Committee for Devastated France (“CARD,” after the French name), to help establish a library for civilians living near the front lines in northern France. Overcoming worries that she won’t be up to the task, Jessie devotes herself to distributing books, especially to local children. A parallel narrative set in 1987 follows aspiring author Wendy Peterson, whose day job involves scanning old documents into the NYPL’s microfiche system. When Wendy comes across a box of CARD records, she’s instantly intrigued by the women who volunteered for the organization and determines to tell their story. Wendy’s interest is especially piqued by Jessie, as it’s clear from the records that she didn’t return to the NYPL after the war. Charles packs Jessie’s story with emotion, particularly in scenes where the librarian shares a French copy of her beloved Anne of Green Gables with a French girl, and when she takes comfort in her own love of reading during moments of despair. Bibliophiles are in for a treat. Agent: Heather Jackson, Heather Jackson Literary. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Charles (The Paris Library) follows up her bestselling debut with a dramatic story of war and literature in WWI France.... Charles packs Jessie’s story with emotion...Bibliophiles are in for a treat.” —Publishers Weekly

“An inspiring novel that celebrates resiliency, community, and connection.” —Booklist

“A wonderful novel that will keep you absorbed for an entire weekend. It also might make you want to pull a few classics off your shelf to reread, which for me is always the sign of a good book.” —Bookreporter

“A compelling remembrance of real librarians who could very easily have been lost to history. Readers who like historical novels with strong women characters will enjoy.” —Library Journal

“An astonishing novel of postwar WWI France with the beating heart of courageous women who change the world through books. . . and a moving tale of sacrifice, heroism, and inspired storytelling immersed in the power of books to change our lives.” —Patti Callahan Henry, bestselling author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea

“Bursting with remarkable characters and filled with heart-in-mouth moments, Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade is a hugely enjoyable read and an enthralling, emotional story rich in historical detail. . . . This wonderful book is a gift to the reader.” —Liese O’Halloran Schwarz, author of What Could Be Saved

“Janet Skeslien Charles is that perfect writer, able to take a true nugget of history and weave it into a tale that grips you from page one. She has an alchemist's eye for tiny historical detail that shimmers under her pen. . . . A rich, glorious life-affirming tribute to literature and female solidarity. Simply unforgettable!” —Kate Thompson, author of The Wartime Book Club

“A wonderful story about the ability of books not only to inspire, but also to rescue and restore. The characters are so richly drawn that they leap off the page... The meticulous research brings such a satisfying depth and authenticity to the narrative, and this is perfectly balanced by the compassion and humanity of the characters. I absolutely loved it!” —Ruth Hogan, bestselling author of The Keeper of Lost Things

“In this compelling ode to the astonishing power of libraries and librarians, readers are introduced to the intrepid, real-life heroine Jessie Carson who delivered hope along with books to children in war-torn France. Janet Skeslien Charles’s latest novel is – to borrow the words of one of her own characters – ‘unputdownable!’” —Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Woman in the Room

Praise for The Paris Library

“As a Parisian, an ardent bookworm, and a longtime fan of the American Library in Paris, I devoured The Paris Library in one hungry gulp. It is charming and moving, with a perfect balance between history and fiction.” —Tatiana de Rosnay, New York Times bestselling author of Sarah's Key

“A fresh take on WWII France that will appeal to bibliophiles everywhere...an irresistible, compelling read.” —Fiona Davis, national bestselling author of The Chelsea Girls

“Well-researched, stirring, and rich with detail, The Paris Library is an ode to the importance of libraries, books, and the human connections we find within both.” —Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Lost Names

From the Publisher

04/01/2024

Charles (The Paris Library) bases her new historical novel on the true story of Jessie "Kit" Carson, who joined the American Committee for Devastated France (Le Commité américain pour les regions dévastées de France, or CARD) during World War I. Through Kit's story, Charles highlights the efforts of a courageous group of American women working on the wars front lines in France and providing emergency relief to civilians in the devastated areas. Kit, a children's librarian, has taken a leave of absence from the New York Public Library to come to France to organize and run a library near the front lines that she hopes will bring the region's children joy through books. Kit goes on to turn ambulances into bookmobiles, train those who would be the first French women to become librarians, and form lifelong friendships while also overcoming past insecurities, all against the backdrop of an impending German offensive. Told from the alternating perspectives of Kit and Wendy Peterson, a writer and NYPL employee researching the CARD organization in the 1980s, the novel brings to light the work of librarians whose valiant efforts helped French citizens during the war. VERDICT A compelling remembrance of real librarians who could very easily have been lost to history. Readers who like historical novels with strong women characters will enjoy.—Lucinda Ward

Library Journal