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Jean asked this question about The Library Book:
What is the significance of the book titles and library catalog information at the beginning of each chapter? They aren't always related to the subject of the chapter.
Kato Justus I thought the significance of the book titles, authors, with the Dewey decimal designation included served several purposes.

It takes the reader on a c…moreI thought the significance of the book titles, authors, with the Dewey decimal designation included served several purposes.

It takes the reader on a casual stroll through the library. It’s the sort of thing you’d see if perusing the shelves.

It demonstrates the sometimes awkward way one thing leads to another. The weird way humans classify and refer to information. How many of us have go to the library targeting a specific book only to walk out with titles placed to either side, or something from a shelf above or below that caught our eye?

Although there were post-fire titles included it gives the reader an idea of the scope of loss from the fire. It that way, it was a bit like an obituary.

Finally, it was a tribute to her mother and her child. Those days spent in the library with her mom, and now as a parent doing the same with her own child. A beautiful bridge spanning the scope of generations in her life as well as their connection to all of humanity.

It’s just the way we meander through a library and how those unexpected titles “whisper” to us as we work our way through the “listening post.”(less)
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The Library Book
by Susan Orlean (Goodreads Author)
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