Book Summary and Reviews of Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles

Book Summary

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).

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Miss Morgan's Book Brigade was inspired by the real-life work of Anne Morgan, Jessie Carson, and the women known as Cards (an acronym from Le Comité américain pour les regions dévastées). Were you at all familiar with this piece of history prior to reading the novel?
2. Anne Morgan, as the daughter of millionaire J. P. Morgan, and Jessie "Kit" Carson, who actually draws a salary as part of her contract with the American Committee for Devastated France, come from very different backgrounds. How do the class differences factor in, if at all, to the stories of these two women?
3. Why do you think Janet Skeslien Charles decided to interweave dual narratives in this story? What does the narrative of Wendy in 1987...