Odile’s favorite part of library school, the Dewey Decimal System, is a numerical system used to organize library books on shelves by subject. The author uses this motif to represent belonging. Just as every book has a place, so too does every person. Furthermore, books are personal. Proper books for an individual speak to the circumstances in that person’s life or transport them to another place. Odile wonders several times what a person’s Dewey Decimal number would be. She asks this question of Lily. Odile’s friendship with Bitsi begins when they discover that they have similar tastes in reading. What a person enjoys reading is revealing. The personal significance of books makes the theft of Professor Cohen’s collection even more horrifying. This motif emphasizes the important role of books, belonging, and the bases of friendship.

The author uses this motif to emphasize the importance of connecting with others and belonging to a community. Living in Paris, Margaret is initially isolated because she doesn’t speak French well. Her husband, in fact, is disgusted with her when he learns that she doesn’t have command of the language. When Margaret visits the American Library, she’s immediately at home hearing the English language.