Why was Alice upset in Chapter Two?

Alice has just had an argument with Kitty Offenhaus about books carried on the library.

She hurried to Florence's table and said, "I'm sorry. I've just had a squabble with Kitty Offenhaus."

"You should eat more, Alice," Florence said, noticing how white and pinched her friend's face looked. "What happened?" "Kitty came in and said she'd heard rumors that we had books by Carl Rowan and Walter White. I told her the rumors were true, and did she want to borrow one?"