From the Bookshelf of Constant Reader…

The Library Book

Susan Orlean

Start date: December 15, 2019

Finish date: January 1, 2020

Discussion: Reading List

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Reading List

* The Schedule for July through Dec. 2025
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What Members Thought

Apr 23, 2020 Cooper rated it it was amazing

I LOVE the downtown library in Los Angeles. Although Studio City is my local library, there’s nothing like taking a trip downtown to walk through the main library and be surrounded by thousands of books. The story of the fire, the destruction and the rebuilding, the history of the LA public library system, and so much more was a truly intriguing read.

Ms. Orlean starts with the story of the fire but from there she does take us on side trips. From the history of book burning, to the history of lib I LOVE the downtown library in Los Angeles. Although Studio City is my local library, there’s nothing like taking a trip downtown to walk through the main library and be surrounded by thousands of books. The story of the fire, the destruction and the rebuilding, the history of the LA public library system, and so much more was a truly intriguing read.

Ms. Orlean starts with the story of the fire but from there she does take us on side trips. From the history of book burning, to the history of libraries, to the history of the library’s directors, to the history of how the internet changed how we read, it’s like a love letter to a story that was so tragic. Over 400,000 books were destroyed and 700,000 damaged – the equal to the entirety of fifteen typical branch libraries.

This is not a fast read. The information is dense and the enormity of the fire is overwhelming. For me, there were four stories that really resonated. Ms. Orlean’s description of the vacant Washington Irving branch was so vivid in her description of the emptiness of a library that was once a vital part of the community – “I have never been in a building as forlorn as this old library, with its bruised beauty, its loneliness.” (p.70).

The second was the history of book burning – “You could fill a book with the list of lost libraries of the world, and in fact, there have been many books written about them, including one with the haunting title Libricide…” (p.97).

Libraries reflect their community and in times of trouble, they become sanctuaries. They offer not just access to an enormous amount of books, but to free services that serve to strengthen the community.

And how Central library itself, and all the people who have or are currently working there are a part of such a piece of history.

This is a book that I will read again and again. Maybe not the whole thing, but pieces, just to remind me of the rich history of the LA public library.

Oh yea, and the story of the fire. It’s strange how Harry Peak involved himself in the story and it’s rather sad that we’ll never really know what really happened on April 29, 1986.
...more

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Jun 25, 2020 Andi rated it it was amazing

An absolutely stunning book both for its richness of research but also for the beautiful tribute it is to libraries.

The last chapter alone left me in tears.

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Nov 13, 2018 Kate rated it it was amazing

Excellent. A riveting story about a library fire, the library itself and why it is so important today. I loved every second of this book.

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Jan 01, 2022 Linda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir, non-fiction, audio, libraries, read-diverse-books-2021

In typical Orlean fashion, this is a meander through several genres: true crime, memoir, history... It's a love letter to libraries and librarians, and as such, it moved me to tears more than once. ...more

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Dec 16, 2018 Carole rated it liked it

3.5 stars. Interesting story about a library fire, and facts about libraries (which I love) and librarians of all sorts. The best things about the book are the memories of my childhood library trips, and the pretty red “old school” type library book cover of my childhood. I can remember when there were no dust jackets to be seen at a library.

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