The Little Wartime Library

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Kate Thompson’s exploration of what the ‘little’ person can achieve in the face of adversity is truly inspirational. Kate Thompson ни вкарва в лондонското метро, което след ужасяващите бомбардировки над Лонд��н се превръща в приют на бездомни, уплашени и бягащи от несигурността хора. Всъщност става дума за Бетнал Грийн - недовършена спирка на централната линия на метрото, свързваща Майл Енд с Ливърпул стрийт стейшън. Който познава добре столицата на Великобритания, може би ще разбере за какво става дума. И там, 78 фута под земята, хората намират единственото място, където не се чуват бомбите, взривовете и воят на сирените. Създават своето тайно село и се превръщат в сплотена общност, опитваща се да оцелее. В тази станция се открива приют с тройни легла за 5000 човека, театър за представления, кафене, медицински пункт със сестри и лекари, зала за танци с роял. И с библиотека. Която е биещотото сърце на хората, решили да не оставят войната да им отнеме човешките нужди.

In the now disused undergrown tube stations of London, there is a community of people living in makeshift shelters, after being forced out of their homes by Nazi bombs. There is to be found, at the underground station of Bethnal Green something truly remarkable - the country’s only underground library, which was created by Librarian, Clara Button, after the original library above ground was destroyed in the bombings. During WWII, the unfinished Bethnal Green Station not only provided shelter to five thousand people who slept in the bunkers constructed in the tunnels – a safe haven amid the devastation caused by the Blitz but also housed a theatre that hosted opera and ballet, a coffee shop, doctor’s quarters and a wartime nursery and a library. There's an assumption - an unfair one - that if you work in a library, you are a cardigan-wearing introvert. Bethnal Green Library, where my novel is set, is one hundred years old this year, so I set myself the goal of interviewing one hundred library workers. From post-war librarians, to feminist and activist librarians, school librarians to Britain's oldest library reading volunteer, qualified and unqualified, all share one thing in common, a passionate belief in the power of books and reading to change lives. I received a gifted copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour hosted by Random Things Tours. He added: “In the library the youngsters are vocally busy with their book-selection, but why should they not chatter to their heart’s content?”What works so well is that there is no guarantee of a happy ending for anyone, creating moments of deep emotion. Satisfying layers of depth

In September 1940 after a bomb damaged their local library branch, librarian Clara Button and Ruby Munroe created the country’s only underground library in the unfinished Bethnal Green tube station, 78 feet below ground - the only place where the bombs couldn’t be heard. Their aim was to offer solace and foster a joy of reading amongst the East Enders. The narrations were split between Clara and Ruby. Clara stands up to injustice – particularly when it comes to lending out what have been deemed ‘restricted’ books. Sometimes it only takes a glance at the title to know that herein lies a soulmatch book. Library love, WWII London underground community, and the resourceful spirit of a pair of women librarians and the community of the Bethnal Green underground tugged at my heart and left only satisfaction in their wake.For borough librarian George F Vale and his deputy, Stanley Snaith, the underground village that had developed at Bethnal Green station was the perfect opportunity to set up a makeshift library and provide the local community with access to free books once more. “The opportunity of founding a tube shelter library was too good to miss,” Stanley wrote in an article in Library Review in the spring of 1942. Bunk beds in the tunnels at Bethnal Green underground station: Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives This is a remarkable novel inspired by the even more remarkable real life story of a library under ground! The library is the one at Bethnal Green in a disused tube station during the war. The structure of the book alternated between the points of view of Clara and Ruby, two very different women but both with fascinating stories to tell. Both Clara and Ruby gain so much confidence over the course of the book, which is interesting because Ruby was already very unique but her story arc allowed for so much growth.

Finding out about the library was nothing short of magic’ ... Kate Thompson. Photograph: Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives I’ve become rather jaded by book titles containing the word ‘little’ but here it is incredibly apt. Books are for everybody. In a society where women shouldn’t read too much and children are considered just a nuisance, Clara strongly believes not only that everybody should read, but that they should be allowed to read any kind of book they want. Girls shouldn’t be forced to read only books “for girls”. Romance and fiction are as good as non-fiction. I love the two women who run the underground library and how resilient they are and I love most of the other characters as well. I love the world building and how much research the author does include in the book as well.Romance sat alongside literary classics, children’s books, poetry and plays. Treasure Island, The Secret Garden and many other classics, including Enid Blyton, nourished young minds and helped children to escape the nightmares above. The author visiting the spot in Bethnal Green Underground where the library once stood, in the pandemic. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: So many families are homeless and a safe place is made for them to live underground, five thousand three tiered bunks are installed, it has a café, nursery, theatre and a library. Clara’s a trained librarian and Ruby isn't your typical assistant, between them they make a great team and devise ingenious ways of lending out as many books as they can. Visiting factories and delivering books to shift workers, holding a nightly story time for the children, starting a boozy book club for their mothers, and Clara sends a letter to Canada asking for donations of children’s classic books. Heartbreakingly, that home was tinged with horror one night in March 1943 when 173 people died in a human crush on theuneven steps down to the shelter. ARP wardens worked alongside housewives and boy scouts to save the injured. Mrs Chumbley wrenched children free from the crush with such force their shoes were left behind. It was three hours before the last casualty was pulled out.