Author: Susan Orlean
Genre: Nonfiction
Type: e-book
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
First Published: Oct 16, 2018
First Line: "Even in Los Angeles, where there is no shortage of remarkable hairdos, Harry Peak attracted attention."
Book Description from GoodReads: On the morning of April 28, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual fire alarm. As one fireman recounted, “Once that first stack got going, it was ‘Goodbye, Charlie.’” The fire was disastrous: it reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library—and if so, who?
Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, award-winning New Yorker reporter and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean delivers a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling book that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before.
In The Library Book, Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries across the country and around the world, from their humble beginnings as a metropolitan charitable initiative to their current status as a cornerstone of national identity; brings each department of the library to vivid life through on-the-ground reporting; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; reflects on her own experiences in libraries; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago.
Along the way, Orlean introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters from libraries past and present—from Mary Foy, who in 1880 at eighteen years old was named the head of the Los Angeles Public Library at a time when men still dominated the role, to Dr. C.J.K. Jones, a pastor, citrus farmer, and polymath known as “The Human Encyclopedia” who roamed the library dispensing information; from Charles Lummis, a wildly eccentric journalist and adventurer who was determined to make the L.A. library one of the best in the world, to the current staff, who do heroic work every day to ensure that their institution remains a vital part of the city it serves.
Brimming with her signature wit, insight, compassion, and talent for deep research, The Library Book is Susan Orlean’s thrilling journey through the stacks that reveals how these beloved institutions provide much more than just books—and why they remain an essential part of the heart, mind, and soul of our country. It is also a master journalist’s reminder that, perhaps especially in the digital era, they are more necessary than ever.
My Rating: 4 stars
My Review: This is a book for library lovers. Based on the book’s blurb, I expected a true crime type of read with a big love letter to libraries. And it is. Orlean’s clearly describes the 1986 fire that decimated the Los Angeles Public Library - a fire that reached 2000 degrees, ruined 400,000 books and damaged 700,000 others. She also touches on the mystery of the culprit’s identity (although I was hoping for more) but ultimately, it's a book about the history of libraries and the important role they play that gave this bookworm all the biblio feels.
I could have read all day about libraries and their pivotal role in society, but a fair bit of the book is spent veering off on smaller tangents. Some of these side stories were interesting but others focused on people who were loosely related to the LAPL and these stories often started to ramble. These tangents gave the book a choppy feel and personally, I just wanted to get back to the LA library main story!
But, if readers can be patient and wade through these extra bits, there are some hidden gems that library lovers (and especially library personnel) will relate to and enjoy. These bits will evoke feelings of
nostalgia in library lovers and a deep need to visit their local library. While the focus was different than I had expected, I applaud Orlean for shining a spotlight on the importance of libraries, the vast array of services they provide as well as their
constantly evolving roles in communities big and small.
Thank you! I keep seeing this book on various lists and wondered about it - I'm generally a fiction reader but every now and then a non fiction book piques my interest. When it does it generally involves books in some way. I'll add this to my very long list of books I'd like to read.
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ReplyDeleteHi Tammy -- I'm also a huge lover of all things bookish. I hope you like it … and get to it soon. My TBR list is 'rather' large as well. :)
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