In 1925, Hans Fallada handed himself in to the police; desperate to escape his inner demons, he sought a prison cell. Along with court documents from the time, this short story collection has been discovered. His stories tackle hitherto taboo topics and explore the lives of women and male outsiders. They reveal Fallada's immense gift as a writer.
New York in the 1900s. A young girl fascinated by rare books, defies the odds and becomes the director of the library of the magnate J. P. Morgan. She is the darling of the aristocracy yet lives under the false name of Belle da Costa Greene. She hides a secret, for although she looks white, she is African American. The transfixing story of a woman who defied all odds to choose her own destiny.