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The Lit Salon at Barrington Hall
Paperback Launch: The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of World War II Resistance Hero Rose Valland
An Evening with Author Michelle Young
Presented by Barrington Hall and Books & Cake
Barrington Hall and Books & Cake are proud to present The Lit Salon, a new literary series celebrating books, ideas, conversation, and community.
For our first gathering, we're honored to welcome Berkshire author and award-winning journalist Michelle Young for the paperback launch of her acclaimed book, The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of World War II Resistance Hero Rose Valland. (A Best Book of 2025: New York Public Library)
Part author conversation, part literary gathering, The Lit Salon brings celebrated writers and curious readers together in an inviting setting for thoughtful conversation and unforgettable evenings. In conversation with former Brooklyn Museum director, David Berliner, Michelle will discuss the remarkable true story behind The Art Spy, the years of research that brought Rose Valland's extraordinary courage to light, and the journey of bringing this celebrated work to readers around the world. The evening will conclude with audience Q&A, followed by a book signing.
As Barrington Hall's literary partner, Books & Cake will offer copies of The Art Spy for purchase throughout the evening, with signed editions available after the program.
To commemorate the paperback launch, Barrington Hall will feature a signature French 75 cocktail—a nod to wartime France—alongside our full bar.
Whether you're a history enthusiast, an art lover, or simply someone who enjoys meaningful conversation, we invite you to join us for an unforgettable evening celebrating an extraordinary story and the power of books to bring people together.
About Michelle Young
Michelle Young is an award-winning journalist and author. Her latest book, The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of World War II Resistance Hero Rose Valland, was named a Best Book of 2025 by the New York Public Library, Library Journal, and Hyperallergic. The book is also a finalist for the Marfield Prize—The National Award for Arts Writing—the Lambda Literary Prize, and the Massachusetts Book Award, and was longlisted for the 2025 American Library of Paris Book Award
She is a graduate of Harvard College in the History of Art and Architecture and holds a master’s degree in urban planning from Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, where she is an Adjunct Professor of Architecture. She has also served as an instructor at CUNY’s Newmark School of Journalism.
Michelle’s writing can be found in The Guardian, Town & Country, Airmail, Narratively, The Forward, Business Insider, Hyperallergic, Wilson Quarterly, Writer’s Digest, Food & Wine Magazine, Metropolis Magazine, Curbed and The Huffington Post. She is a regular contributor to Hyperallergic writing about lost and looted art. She is also a Lowell Thomas Journalist Award winner and a two-time GANYC Apple Award winner. Michelle’s photography has been published by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Travel & Leisure, the Venice Architecture Biennale, and The Museum of Modern Art, exhibited at The Museum of the City of New York, the New York Historical, and included in numerous books.
Michelle appears regularly on television, in documentaries, and at conferences on journalism and history. She was featured on the History Channel production The Engineering That Built the World, Netflix’s Stay Here, Smithsonian Channel’s Searching for Secrets, PBS’10 That Changed America, and National Geographic’s Strange Truths. She was a guest onTell Me Something I Don’t Knowhosted by Stephen Dubner, on Huffington Post Live, and was a primary character in the documentary DÎNER EN BLANC, The World’s Largest Secret Dinner Party. She has spoken at the United Nations and was an organizer of the Rockefeller Foundation conference, “Jane Jacobs Revisited.” Michelle is also a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music Pre-College Division and is a trained classical cellist. In a past life, she was a cellist in an indie-rock band and Mick Jones from the Clash came to her first show. Michelle lives with her family in the Berkshires.
About David Berliner
David Berliner is a seasoned business and cultural leader with a reputation as a thoughtful and creative manager, problem-solver and consensus builder. His most recent professional position was President of the Brooklyn Museum, one of the oldest and largest art museums in the Country, where he helped lead a successful effort to stabilize and transform the museum's operating model. Prior to his tenure at the Brooklyn Museum, David was the Chief Operating Officer of Forest City Ratner Companies, a Brooklyn-based real estate developer and property owner, leading the company in building and managing millions of square feet of residential and commercial properties throughout New York, including the Barclays Center and the New York Times headquarters building. He is the Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of the Madison Square Park Conservancy, where he launched and led its celebrated public art program. David is also an artist, with a practice that focuses on landscape-based paintings and watercolor drawings.