Reviews with content warning for Racism - The Library Book

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

13 reviews

hanz's review against another edition

informative reflective slow-paced

3.0

Think I'd class this more as history or even social issues as opposed to true crime. The book jumps around a lot between the fire and its investigation, the history of the LA library and the current people and services of that library.

The history parts were my favourite and there were a lot of interesting facts about the people involved in the early stages of the library.

Occasionally hard to follow because it jumped around a lot and I found that some of the chapters ended quite abruptly and didn't really have a conclusion to add to the overall point of the book, however I'm relatively new to non fiction so could just be me.

The author also repeated used either he or she to refer to an arbitrary person, which was a little jarring and felt out of place with some of the themes of the book.

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pagesfromhome's review against another edition

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informative inspiring slow-paced

5.0

Wow wow wow wow wow. My husband recommended this book to me because he knows how much I love libraries and, while it took me a while to actually pick it up, I’m so grateful that I did.

The Library Book tells the story of the 1986 Los Angeles Public Library fire that destroyed around 400,000 books and damaged countless others. But interspersed with the mystery of the fire (Who started it? Or what started it?) and the aftermath of it, are the stories of the City Librarians that championed the LAPL, the patrons who spend their days in the stacks, and the books that make their home there.

The editing on this book is masterful. Every chapter leaves you wanting to dive into the next, but without ever feeling rushed. Orlean’s writing style is so unique, dry but not boring, witty but not comical, informative but not overbearing. She has an incredible ability to portray people as complex without uttering more than two sentences about them.

While this book is seemingly about the LAPL fire, it is really an ode to libraries as a whole and what they provide to our community and humanity in general. The chapter where Susan Orlean burns a book, just to see what it feels like, is particularly incredible. I’ve never really found myself highlighting nonfiction books that I wasn’t studying before, but this book changed that. If you’re new to nonfiction, this is the one to start with…just be prepared because any book you read after this one might be disappointing.

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jazhandz's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

4.25

I tend to find most narrative nonfiction dry, but this was intensely readable. The passion was vivid, clear, and lovely to read throughout the book.

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lunep's review against another edition

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informative mysterious slow-paced

4.0

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mondovertigo's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

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caseythereader's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

- THE LIBRARY BOOK is more than just an investigation of whether L.A. Central Library was a victim of arson. It's also a history of the branch, of libraries generally, and a look at what libraries have evolved into today and the challenges librarians tackle every day.
- This book is a love letter to libraries and a message of gratitude to librarians. The descriptions of people and places read like fiction, and I just couldn't put it down.
- I really appreciated the repeated emphasis on how libraries are expected to fill every social need and gap in our safety nets, in particular in regards to supporting unhoused people but also in dozens of other ways. It shows us how far beyond their limits (financial, educational, etc.) we have forced them to stretch.

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linesiunderline's review against another edition

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informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

A love letter to libraries past and present, and a catalogue of all that they offer to patrons, then and now, this book is fascinating and teaches readers a great deal along the way. Orlean’s writing is clear and compelling, and I mostly enjoyed the meandering structure, though it wasn’t what I had initially anticipated. Certain players in the library’s history were more interesting than others, and overall I’d have liked even more attention payed to Harry Peak’s part in it all. You’ll put this one down and be more awestruck than before at the miracle and necessity of libraries.

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