Miss Morgan's Book Brigade

Kit narrates from Blérancourt in January 1918. Kit’s first story hour is a modest success—the Annes have made the mistake of scheduling it for laundry day, something the mothers of the village can’t skip. She reads from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; when one child asks why Tom lives with his aunt, Marcelle posits that his house was bombed and his parents died in the war.

Madame Moreau is upset that the Cards have lent books to her sons because they might ruin them and books are too expensive for her to replace. She is also upset that they encourage Marcelle to be like them, worrying that any dreams her daughter has will only lead to heartache. Kit promises herself that she’ll give Marcelle a happy ending.

At Sunday Mass, a soldier with one arm approaches Kit to ask if she’s the Library Card, but is distracted when he catches sight of Jeanne. They are immediately smitten, but Madame Petit pulls her daughter away. That afternoon, the Cards host a party at headquarters for the soldiers. While Lewis dances with a pilot named Jimmy, Kit meets Tom, a mechanic. They bond over their love of books, and she loans him The Count of Monte Cristo, daring to say she hopes he’ll think of her when he reads it. As the party ends, the Cards hear the sound of a dogfight—an Allied pilot and a German pilot fighting one-on-one in the sky to the death—reminding them of the danger they all face.

Wendy narrates from New York in January 1987. At the library, Roberto consoles Wendy about Professor Hill’s comments, and encourages her to write about Jessie Carson. Inspired, she reads more about the NYPL librarian and tries but fails to find her personnel file. The Archivist suggests that even if she survived the war she might have died from the flu. Roberto tells her to look for names associated with Jessie Carson, and she sets out to research Anne Morgan. However, as she tries to sneak the bulletins she brought home out of her bag, Roberto catches her and they argue. He’s angry that she risked losing or destroying the files. Disappointed in herself, Wendy wanders home aimlessly and finds herself in front of the Morgan Library & Museum. She realizes there might be information about Anne Morgan and the Cards here.

Kit narrates from Blérancourt in February 1918. Kit writes fond letters home, downplaying the dangers, and receives praise from her mother in return. She also exchanges letters with Tom and sends him more books. She proposes a “rolling story hour” (99) to the two Annes, for which they will travel to the nearby villages and read to children. During the first one, Kit is surprised halfway through the story when she looks up and sees a German helmet floating down the stream outside, with its owner’s head still inside. Lewis and Marcelle block the view out the window while Kit reads on.

The story hour grows in popularity. Henri asks Kit to give Jeanne a collection of sonnets, with a valentine inside. Sidonie accompanies Kit when she goes to deliver it. Madame Petit objects to the idea of a love affair, not wanting Jeanne to have her heart broken, but Sidonie says the greatest hurt would be never having the chance at love at all. A few weeks later, Jeanne sneaks a notebook to Kit, asking her to deliver it to Henri.

Villagers, including Monsieur Hugo, help rebuild the library. Kit asks Anne Morgan if Marcelle might be allowed to become a Card, and Anne approves. Madame Moreau objects but then gives permission. After training, Anne Morgan introduces Marcelle as their newest chauffeuse, meaning female driver, but Marcelle points out that the word is incorrect—there is no word for a female driver in French. Anne replies that the language must catch up with French women, and Marcelle agrees that “We women deserve a word of our own” (113).

Kit narrates from Blérancourt in March 1918. Marcelle wakes Kit early one morning—she wants to bring her to visit her young friends Victorine and Vivienne, who are camping out near their destroyed home in the Red Zone. With both of their parents dead, the girls are afraid to return to civilization and be separated by authorities. Though Marcelle insists the girls can trust Kit, they refuse to leave the Red Zone.

At the next party for the soldiers, Kit and Tom grow closer. He loves that she wrote in the margins of the novel she loaned him; though it makes her feel exposed, he says it was like they were reading together and almost wrote back to her. After Kit recounts her week, he scolds her for going into the Red Zone, and she is angry that he’s just like other men who think they can tell women what to do. She excuses herself, watching Jeanne and Henri dance, but Tom catches up and apologizes—he explains that he’s had a rough week because his best friend was killed at the front. As they talk, Kit overhears a colonel tell Dr. M.D. that the Cards should be prepared to evacuate at any moment.

Wendy narrates from New York in January 1987. Roberto still isn’t speaking to Wendy. At the Morgan Library, she is given access to CARD files. One newspaper suggests “quality” women like Anne Morgan will be the ruin of society, working instead of passing on their genes to the next generation by becoming mothers. Though she finds no mention of Jessie Carson, she reads a note from Anne Murray Dike that describes intense fighting in the spring of 1918, foreshadowing events to come.

In class, Professor Hill says a story written by another student, Meredith, is “trite.” He tells his students to get used to being ignored and judged by publishers and reviewers alike. Wendy and Meredith reflect on Hill’s bitter experience, what it means for them, and if publishing is all about who they know. Wendy recalls tutoring to make extra money in college while her peers went on expensive vacations, and how a drunk “swaggering frat bro” (133) tried to rape her when he came to her room for tutoring; only her roommate’s arrival stopped him. Though her complaint was largely ignored, Wendy promised herself she would not be silenced again.

Feeling courageous, Wendy tells Meredith about her decision to write about the Cards.