On June 4, The Lit Salon will feature Michelle Young on the launch of her new book The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland. A riveting and stylish saga set in Paris during World War II, The Art Spy uncovers how an unlikely heroine infiltrated the Nazi leadership to save the cultural legacy of the West.

“Packed with the intrigue of a spy novel, the tension of a wartime thriller, and the vivid detail of great narrative history... With The Art Spy, Young arrives as a major new voice in narrative nonfiction." — Laurie Gwen Shapiro, author of The Stowaway and The Aviator and the Showman

“Meticulously researched and beautifully written...Young brings to life a forgotten heroine of World War II, one who richly deserves this posthumous portrayal... A must read, and highly recommended.”—Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Queen

"A gripping account of Valland’s passionate one-woman fight to preserve

France’s artistic heritage, The Art Spy is a must-read." — Lynne Olson, New York Times bestselling author of Citizens of London and Madame Fourcade's Secret War

A welcome cocktail will be served and a performance by The Brownstone Quartet will open the event, followed by an hour of conversation and audience Q&A. A book signing and mingling with complimentary drinks will conclude the event.

The Lit Salon is an intimate literary salon set to candlelight inside Maison Brooklyn, a lovingly restored, historic 1890s townhouse. Guests will be asked to remove their shoes inside the private home, so bring your best sock game!

Early bird tickets are $35 with the opportunity to purchase an autographed and dedicated copy of the book. Space is limited. All sales final. No tickets will be sold at the door.

The Lit Salon is produced by Maison Brooklyn, with special partners Aerangis, Ode à la Rose (a same-day NYC flower delivery service), Fort Hamilton Distillery and Untapped New York.

Michelle Young is the author of The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland, Secret Brooklyn, Secret New York: Hidden Bars & Restaurants, and Broadway. Michelle is also the founder of Untapped New York, a Professor of Architecture at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, and a scholar in the New York Public Library’s Allen Room. Michelle’s writing and photography have been published in The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Hyperallergic, The Forward, Business Insider, Curbed, Metropolis Magazine and more. 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, National Geographic’s Strange Truths, and Tell Me Something I Don’t Know with Stephen Dubner.