The Secret Society of Librarians

After completing their library studies in 1936, Jo, Joyce, Grace, Beth, Evelyn, Clara, Annie and Dorotha decided to form the Secret Society of Librarians (SSL) and produce a newsletter Libertatem per Lectio.  Most of the women worked in libraries in various parts of England while Dorotha returned to her home country, Poland. Then in 1939 Hitler's army invaded Poland and England was at war with Germany. The last that the SSL hear from Dorotha is a letter Joyce receives requesting that the SSL assist Adela, her young sister, when she escapes Poland to travel to England. Adela initially works with a family that has left London for a house in the country.

The Secret Society of Librarians by Kate Thompson tells the story of life in England during the Blitz and in a Jewish ghetto in occupied Poland through the eyes of Joyce in London and Dorotha in Poland. Members of the Secret Society of Librarians resolve that if people cannot come to their libraries then the role of the librarians is to get the books to the people. Many of the libraries are bombed along with homes, shops and factories. However the women strive, when possible, to make reading material available to those who need to read books as a distraction from the devastation occurring around them.

In some cases parts of libraries can still be used but library staff carry books to people who cannot visit a library. Joyce makes it her mission to establish a mobile library. Libraries are also established in underground shelters. Library staff also conduct reading sessions for young children.

The story is revealed via Joyce's life in London during the Blitz and Dorotha's struggle for survival in Poland, especially when family members disappear. In London Joyce takes responsibility for looking after Adela who helps her with the library projects. When the war ends the SSL hear no news from Dorotha.

Once again Kate Thompson has written an important account of the effects of war on ordinary people and the resilience of people in their attempts to survive. The novel is also about the importance of books and reading in the lives of ordinary people, particularly in times of stress, and how libraries and librarians are an important part of communities.

At the end of the novel the author includes extensive historical notes relevant to events in the story plus excerpts of oral histories from people who experienced the Blitz in London. 

How to be Remembered

Tommy Llewellyn turned one and no one, including his parents, remembered him. His presence was still there but no one remembered who he was. This happened every year. Tommy was taken to a foster home where he was looked after by Miss Michelle until he turned eighteen, though he had to reintroduce himself to her every year on the day after his birthday.

As he grew older Tommy was determined to find a way of defeating this jinx that was affecting his life. Each year he would experiment to try and find out what would prevent this annual event from occurring. When in the foster home, Tommy met Carey but she, of course forgot him. When he left the home Tommy was determined to find Carey and re-establish their relationship.

Eventually Tommy decides that his life will always be different but is determined to work out how to still create a life with a new family even though there will always be parts of his life that he leaves behind each year.

This was a Monash University Alumni Book Club suggested book in 2024.

The Little Wartime Library

The Little Wartime Library by Kate Thompson is a work of fiction based on actual events. Bethnal Green's first permanent library opened in 1922 financed by Andrew Carnegie. Then in September 1940 a bomb crashed through the roof of the building destroying the library. The Bethnal Green Underground was half completed at the start of the war but when the bombing of London began the local community took possession of the underground area. Tiers of bunks were installed where those whose homes had been destroyed could stay and a small underground community evolved including a nursery, theatre space and a library.

The characters in the book are fictional but the novel conveys the local community spirit that existed in that time of danger when so many people not only lost their homes and possessions but also members of their families in London, as well as those fighting overseas.

Clara Button was the children's librarian in the old library but she is now in charge of the underground library, assisted by close friend, Ruby Munroe. Together, with the assistance of many of the library patrons, they provide a service for those who need a distraction from what is occuring above ground. In the novel we meet a range of characters, including the children who swarm to the library for storytime each evening. The novel examines what reading and libraries mean to people.

But the war is never far away and the reader is constantly reminded of not only the impact of recent events on a close knit community but also devastation of the war overseas and its affects on families at home.

Throughout the novel the importance of books and libraries is stressed and at the beginning of each chapter there is a quote from librarians who comment on the importance of libraries and of reading. At the end of the book the author includes a history of the real Bethnal Green Library which was recently closed to become a COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Centre. During recent years library services have been reduced or removed from many communities in the UK and a campaign was launched to ensure that Bethnal Green Library would reopen again. At the back of the book there is also a detailed section on the campaign to save public libraries and a detailed bibliography providing information about books about libraries as well books mentioned in the novel.

The Little Wartime Library is definitely one of the best books that I have read this year.