A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK A WASHINGTON POST TOP 10 BOOK OF THE YEAR * A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER and NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2018 “A constant pleasure to read…Everybody who loves books should check out The Library Book.” –The Washington Post “CAPTIVATING…DELIGHTFUL.” –Christian Science Monitor * “EXQUISITELY WRITTEN, CONSISTENTLY ENTERTAINING.” –The New … “CAPTIVATING…DELIGHTFUL.” —Christian Science Monitor * “EXQUISITELY WRITTEN, CONSISTENTLY ENTERTAINING.” —The New York Times * “MESMERIZING…RIVETING.” —Booklist (starred review)
A dazzling love letter to a beloved institution–and an investigation into one of its greatest mysteries–from the bestselling author hailed as a “national treasure” by The Washington Post.
On the morning of April 29, 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.
more
Interesting topic true event
A love letter to libraries and learning as well as a brilliant piece of reporting.
Verbose, discursive. She was all over the place. Was very disappointed. Trudged threw this book.
This is a nonfiction book that reads as easily as fiction. The author really tells great antidotes.
A wonderful history of libraries! I will read this book again!
Absolutely amazing history of the Los Angeles Public Library and fire.
I loved this book as much as I love libraries.
As a retired librarian I was drawn to this book because of the historical view of librarianship. I was not aware of the event of the 1986 fire of the Los Angeles Public Library. It was fascinating to learn its history through the persons who supervised this awesome edifice. I have had an amazing career and the sharing of this story makes me more aware of the uniqueness of my calling!
Felice Feldman
“Reading is my addiction of choice”
I am a library nerd and this book fed my desire for information and a need I never knew I had to connect with all the other library nerds out there. Such interesting history as well as a thriller-like hunting down of the arsonist. Couldn’t put it down. Susan Orleans is such a talent.
THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING…AND MORE.
By now, if you’re a reader, you’ve heard about this book. It’s wonderful and warm and funny and inquisitive and truly gives the insight into how a huge library really works.
If you don’t read non-fiction – be a grown-up – read this book.
If you have never been to a library and think you won’t like this – go get a library card- read this book.
If you don’t like being told to read – tough shit – read this book.
If you’ve never heard of Susan Orlean – pull your head out of your ass – read this book.
If you only read romance novels – give your burnin’ loins a break – read this book.
In other words, read this book.
I run a number of book clubs and across the board, each of my members have loved this book.
It’s in my top five of the year.
It’s that fantabulous.
And if you don’t like my review….tough shit!
As a retired librarian was fantastic by the story. It is a in depth look at how Libraries influence and create communities. Also what resources they archive and contain and how information was lost forever by the fire. It also opened new opportunities as the Los Angeles Central Library was rebuilt.
Orlean’s passion for books and libraries is infectious. Anyone who like either or both will love this well written book
A treasure!
As a lifelong reader and library visitor, and a supporter of libraries, authors and books, this was a must-read for me. It is jam-packed with all kinds of information and insight about books & libraries, and readers & librarians, in history and in the present day! It is more than that, though, because it also covers facts about so many other things — fire and arson investigations, restoring damaged books, the communities served by libraries, and many very interesting people who work at and visit libraries. All told in a very engaging way, with a great writing style! I loved the glimpses of the author’s own life and feelings, including her thoughts on writing this book, plus her observations and her interactions with others, which served to enhance the information and facts. I knew I was in for a treat because of the subject matter – books! – but had no idea just how wonderful it would be. It is obvious that Susan Orlean put her heart into this book. I will long treasure her work & words and the experience of reading “The Library Book”!
What a cool and interesting story this was!
I really enjoy Susan Orlean’s writing – she has an engaging style that makes non-fiction read like fiction (The Orchid Thief was my first example of this phenomenon, and I’ve been hunting down non-fiction to find more ever since!) and that pulls the reader into the information being presented. In this book, she takes on the mysterious fire of the L.A. Public Library – and the history of the library since its inception. And along the way she teaches you about other libraries, trends in library management, arson investigations, criminal and civil litigation, architecture, book restoration, and family dynamics (both biological and the families we choose). It’s a LOT to cover, but she manages to weave it all together into a narrative that is not only coherent, it’s entertaining no matter which component is the focus. No small feat, that…
The book opens with the library fire, and closes with it too – but not in the way I expected. Along the way we learn about the investigation into the fire, the main suspect, and the library’s life from inception to death and then rebirth. It’s a fascinating tale populated by a cast of characters that could only be real – so many of them are chockablock full of quirks and foibles that no author would dare create them all and insert them into the same story! The writing is, as always with Orlean, excellent. This was a great tale from start to finish – and especially throughout all the meandering side-trails along the way!
My review copy was provided by NetGalley.
Let’s start with how much I loved Susan Orlean’s writing, I felt like I was listening to her, it was like she was telling me to whole story herself. It just proves how much power words have even on paper, it truly is magical, right?
I love libraries, I have spent my whole entire life inside one library or another. I was born in S. Miguel Azores, this island in the middle of the ocean (which is beautiful by the way) and even there I remember visiting the library and now thinking about it, compared to the libraries here? It was small but to small little me it was magical, it was the place where I could go and where all the books existed and I could borrow them over and over again as many times I wanted. And then I came to US as a teen and OMG, first library I visited was Somerville Library in MA and I remember getting my own library card and I remember spending hours and hours there and let’s fast forward to today and I’m married and I still go to my local library and you bet that I bring my kids there lol. So, when I read the sypnosis of this book I had to read it and once I started reading I was fascinating in all aspects.
The more I read the more I wanted to know about the fire that happened at the LA Public Library and what happened to all the books after the fire and what about the people and the reconstruction of it. It was non ending what I wanted to learn and you know what surprised me? It looked like all the questions that I had? Susan had all the answers for it…but she not only had the answers for my questions but she went even deeper than that.
She investigated what happened to the person who was blamed to the fire, even talking to his family. She spent so much time at the library, that we got to know how every single department works and oh man, there are sooo many of them lol.
She goes looks at some other library fires and she even goes as far as burning a book to see how quick a fire inside a library can spread. Fascinating reading for sure. I totally recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars!!!
The book is not even officially out yet, but I’m already giving it five stars. Why not? I love Susan Orlean’s evocation of place and characters, and this is such an original idea that I can’t wait to read it. I’m a sucker for libraries and the people who spend their lives in dusty archives. And the idea of a mysterious fire, still unsolved decades later…. What’s not to love?
librarian, library, books, nonfiction, journalist, grief
The book begins with graphic descriptions of the awful destructive fire at the main library in Los Angeles which occurred on the same day as the Chernoble disaster. The description of the actions of the fire and of the bibliophiles who worked so hard to salvage whatever could be done is so clear that the reader feels the pain and frustration of the obliteration of so many unique and irreplaceable books, other ephemera, microfiche, and so much more. Then the book progresses through the librarians and other employees and how things were managed to the other satellite libraries to the logistical problems of libraries everywhere. There is much devoted to the evolution of library services, preservation of historical library buildings, and the processes of archiving and restoration of materials. But this is not just a dry recounting of facts, it is a loving sacrificial offering to beloved libraries the world over, and the humor is found in the books listed at the beginning of each chapter. No Time for Tears: Coping with Grief in a Busy World (2015) by Heath, Judy 157.3 H437. Fire! The Library is Burning (1988) by Cytron, Barry D. X624 C997. If you geek libraries, you need to read this book!
Disclaimers:
I have geeked books and libraries since forever, as do most of our children and grandchildren. Several of the grands would consider this a book of horror as they are old enough to decide that they prefer print copies.
I requested and received a free review copy from Simon and Schuster Publishers via NetGalley. Now I have to get a print copy as soon as available!