Miss Morgan's Book Brigade

Jessie Carson narrates from the North of France in January 1918, 40 miles from the front. She describes the destruction she sees as she is driven to CARD headquarters by chauffeur Kate Lewis. As they make their way through checkpoints, Jessie recalls how a film commissioned by Anne Morgan to show the impacts of the German occupation had motivated her to join CARD, despite the condescension of her boss at the New York Public Library, Winnifred Smythe. Unlike most CARD members, who are heiresses volunteering their time, Jessie is in France on a salary, hired and paid by Anne Morgan. When they stop to stretch their legs, Jessie retreats to the “library of [her] mind” and recalls lines from My Ántonia. She wanders into a field without thinking before Lewis calls out to her, warning that the mud is full of landmines. Jessie retraces her footsteps, upset that she has already made an error that could have gotten her killed.

As they drive through the Red Zone, “where German soldiers had sown explosives the same way they used to plant potatoes” (8), Lewis describes life as a Card and notes all Cards are called by their last names. Jessie explains the value she finds in books and her mission to bring joy to people through literature, and they bond over their mothers’ similar efforts to find them husbands when they really want independence. They greet Marcelle Moreau, who says Jessie can’t be a librarian because all librarians are men, and Jessie encourages her to rethink the double standards women live by. At CARD headquarters, the two Annes greet them and Jessie is grateful when Lewis doesn’t mention the error she made by walking into the field of mines. A small terrier claims her as his own.

Jessie Carson narrates from Blérancourt in January 1918. The two Annes and Lewis toast Jessie’s arrival and explain the level of devastation people in the area are facing, noting that “there are wee ones we’ve never seen smile” (16). Though the Allies regained the territory around Blérancourt, the front is still only 40 miles away, and Jessie must adjust to the sound of bombs falling. A Card named Breckie shows Jessie to her room, and the terrier, whom she names Max, follows. The barracks are sparsely furnished and Jessie notes a bouquet of flowers in the copper shell of a bomb; she will continue to see this kind of resourcefulness because the villagers and Cards cannot afford to waste anything.

At dinner, the Cards decide to call Jessie “Kit” instead of Carson, naming her after the character Kit Carson, and all welcome their “Library Card.” Anne Morgan is explaining their efforts to revitalize the area when dinner is interrupted by Marcelle Moreau, who has come for help because her little brother has a fever. Kit and Breckie follow Marcelle to the quarry where her family lives because their house was bombed. They tend the boy, Maurice, and Madame Moreau scolds Marcelle for bringing the Cards; she wants to teach her children to be self-sufficient. Kit replies that learning when to ask for help is an important lesson. She loans Marcelle Anne of Green Gables. When they leave, she reflects that nothing in Anne Morgan’s film prepared her for the reality of the devastation.

Wendy Peterson narrates from New York in January 1987. She works in the basement of the NYPL, in the “Remembrance Department—that’s what we call the basement microfiche center, where we pay tribute to the dearly (and not-so-dearly) departed” (28) while working toward a master’s in writing. Arriving at work, she is greeted by Roberto, a librarian who was marked for success at the NYPL until he was barred from working with the public by the director; rumors swirl about why but Roberto doesn’t talk about it. He and Wendy flirt, quizzing each other on lines from favorite novels.

Roberto brings Wendy a new box of articles and files to be photographed and documented: “Under Two Flags, a weekly bulletin of the work in France and in America, from the American Committee for Devastated France” (31). As she reads bulletins about the work being done, Wendy is immediately enthralled by the stories of the women, and particularly by the mention of Jessie Carson, whom she realizes was an NYPL librarian. She sneaks some of the documents out of the library on her way to writing class so she can read them later.

Wendy hopes her class with Professor Hill, a “real” writer, will set her on the path to publication and vindication in the eyes of her father; he wanted her to study something practical, but allowed her to go to New York on a scholarship. Hill chooses her story to read in class and concludes that it’s “just notes.” Wendy’s classmates go out for a beer after class, but she goes straight home, as always, unable to afford an evening out and hoping to find solace in more CARD bulletins.

Kit narrates from Blérancourt in January 1918. After a sleepless night listening to bombs fall, Kit joins Breckie for breakfast and “war coffee” made from chicory instead of coffee beans. Breckie invites Kit on her rounds so she can meet the villagers; Kit says she should inspect the library first, and Breckie warns her that it’s been badly damaged. When Kit mentions that The Secret Garden is a favorite children’s book, Breckie says she bought that one to read to her daughter, but abruptly ends their conversation.

At the mercantile, Kit is greeted by Marcelle, whose spirit she admires, though Madame Moreau scolds her daughter for smiling for no reason and appearing “feeble-minded” (40). She notes Sidonie Devereux, and learns she lost her husband and child in the war. At the library, Kit discovers that though the walls are standing there is no ceiling, and most of the books have been damaged by rain or the malice of German soldiers. Marcelle appears and thanks her for the loaned book. In the rubble, they uncover The History of Picardie by Gaston Devereux—Sidonie’s husband. Since it’s the only copy, Kit determines to restore it and bring it to Sidonie as a gift. She shows Marcelle how to retype the damaged pages, and Marcelle wants to learn everything she can about being a librarian. Though Sidonie lives near the Red Zone and Kit fears bringing Marcelle near danger, the teen scoffs and guides her to the mud hut where Sidonie lives. She won’t come to the door, so they leave the book.

At headquarters, Dr. M.D. considers reassigning Kit to bookkeeping, since she has little hope for restoring the library and must justify their budget to donors since “even our supporters predict we’ll fail” (49). Kit protests that the children need reading, and the Annes dismiss her, saying they’ll think about it. Kit recalls when her father brought her to the NYPL on her 12th birthday, telling her that he wanted her to be independent, that she could make a living with books.

Kit Carson narrates from Blérancourt in January 1918. Over breakfast, Breckie, Lewis, and Kit decide they will teach Marcelle to drive. They introduce her to “Bessie,” and she has a natural talent for driving. Marcelle says her mother worries that training with the Cards will ruin her chances for marriage, but that anyone she might have married died in the war anyway. With Marcelle driving, they visit the village families; the Hugos express excitement about the idea of a library, and Kit reads a fable to their son Benoit.

After finishing their house calls, Marcelle drives to Sidonie’s home. She explains that during the first Christmas of the war, Sidonie was pregnant when she learned her husband had been killed in action. Though she gave birth to a healthy baby girl, the winter was freezing and the local priest refused to give her firewood, insisting the wood was to be used for caskets. Her daughter died, and Sidonie never went to church again. When they arrive, Sidonie scornfully calls them the “calling Cards […] Ladies of bounty” (58). She says they have no way of understanding what she’s lost; Breckie counters this with her story of loss—she had been unable to conceive, and her husband died while on her way to meet her at a fertility clinic. She married again but their child died hours after being born, driving her and her husband to separate. Marcelle is shocked by the mention of divorce. Breckie says she took a new vow, to be of use to people. Her story moves Sidonie to see the Cards in a new light.

At headquarters, Breckie visits Kit to share some pampering cold cream. Kit reveals that in her head she often hears the voice of her boss at the NYPL, Winnifred Smythe, questioning her every move. Kit is comforted by Breckie’s assertion that she’s on her side, and realizes that in France, she can do things her way.