The Secret Society of Librarians by Kate Thompson

                                                   

Hardback:  464 pages                                                                                                

Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII

Publisher:  12th March 2026 Hodder and Stoughton

Source:  Tywyn Public Library

First Sentence: During the third annual meeting of the Secret Society of Librarians, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declared war on Nazi Germany.

Review Quote: Kate Thompson conveys the power of books and librarianship -- The Library Journal

My Opinion:  

As a bibliophile and bookworm how could I not choose this book to read when I spotted it on the shelves on a recent visit to the local library.

'The Secret Society of Librarians is particularly interesting as it was inspired by true events. A group of women have formed a society and when WWII breaks out, for the love of books, they decide against all odds to take libraries, books to the people. They strongly believed that reading helped sustain people during those difficult days. The story is told in two parallel timelines through the eyes of two members of the group. Joyce who remains in London throughout the Blitz and her friend Dorotha who finds herself suffering under Nazi rule in Poland.

WWII is a period in history that still to this day impacts on those survivors fortunate enough to still be alive in the 21C. If you love history, books and tales of survival and fortitude this comes recommended.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Two women, torn apart by war. One shared belief in the power of books...

London, 1939. When war breaks out on librarian Joyce Kindred's doorstep and a call for help rings out across the libraries of London, she's determined to act. Joyce knows only the world of books can offer safety and comfort to her neighbourhood - and she will make sure no one is left behind.

Joyce sets up a mobile library scheme, but soon her acts of resistance go beyond sharing books. She shelters a young Jewish refugee, Adela - and it's not long before she discovers Adela has a secret that could turn their world upside down again...

Occupied Poland, 1942. Dorotha knows any chance of her escaping the barbed wire fences and cruelty of the Łódź ghetto dwindles by the day. Reading isn't just an act of it's the only thing left in her life over which she has any control. And so she shares books under the cover of darkness, creating a secret library away from her captors - that is, until even that last ray of hope is taken from her...

Joyce and Dorotha were once librarians, ordinary women, and best friends. The war has forced them into acts of unimaginable bravery - but will they ever find each other again?

Based on astonishing real events, this absolutely heart-breaking page-turner brings to life the remarkable untold story of two women during WW2.



Author Profile

                                         
                                                               

                                           Courtesy of Goodreads                                       

Kate Thompson was born in London and worked as a journalist for twenty years on women's magazines and national newspapers. She now lives in Sunbury with her husband, two sons and two rescue dogs. After ghost writing five memoirs, Kate moved into fiction. 

Kate's first non-fiction social history documenting the forgotten histories of East End matriarchy, The Stepney Doorstep Society, was published in 2018 by Penguin. She is passionate about capturing lost voices and untold social histories. 

Today Kate works as a journalist, author and library campaigner. Her most recent books, The Little Wartime Library (2022) and The Wartime Book Club (2023) by Hodder & Stoughton focus on two remarkable libraries in wartime. Her 100 libraries project, celebrates the richness and complexity of librarians work and the vital role of libraries in our communities. 

Kate is also proud to have worked in collaboration with one of Britain's oldest Holocaust survivors, Renee Salt, to research and write, A mother's Promise (UK) Do Not Cry When I Die (US and Canada) published on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads -Author Profile.     Author - Official Website.    

Kate Thompson - Amazon Profile.   Instagram Profile.      Facebook Author Page