Books & Audiobooks
Written by: Nancy C.
Janet Skeslien Charles has dedicated much of the last two decades researching for her books about strong women and French wartime libraries. In The Paris Library, she told the tale of courageous librarians at the American Library in Paris who, in the midst of Nazi occupation, smuggled books to their Jewish patrons.
In Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade, she highlights the incredible courage and dedication that women demonstrated in the late stages of World War I to help rebuild a French countryside that had been left in ruins by the Nazi occupation. Anne Morgan, daughter of wealthy financier JP Morgan, formed an organization called the American Committee for Devastated France. Together with Dr. Anne Murray Dike, she recruited young women from North America to help rebuild the razed agricultural region of Blerancourt, located 80 miles north of Paris. You will meet fictionalized versions of real life heroes Jesse ‘Kit’ Carson, Mary ‘Breckie’ Breckinridge, Marian Bartol, Kate Lewis and Marcelle Monod, to name a few. Each contributed to the rebuilding efforts using the skill sets for which they were recruited.
Kit Carson was brought to CARD to rebuild the library in the area. She revolutionized the library system in that she created space for all to feel welcome and brought children back to the library through story times and travelling book mobiles. Her efforts in the countryside were lauded and she was asked to design a library in Belleville, a working class area of Paris, that would bring to the community a centre of welcome and learning for all.
This is a story of heroism, dedication and joy of community. So many war remembrances focus on the bravery and sacrifice of men and while that is indeed a reality, it is also true that the war effort would be significantly less impactful without the steadfast resolve of the countless women who put themselves in harm’s way to improve the lives of people and communities in their care.