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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
If you love books, libraries, people and history then this one’s for you.
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
This one was interesting. I was really excited for a real life mystery about books and a library. I didn't expect to get a history of the LA Library system. While it really reads like a love letter to libraries (and made me consider a career change for a sec), it felt a bit disjointed. I will say, it did make me feel like I was walking through a library, picking random books off a shelf, reading a chapter and putting it back. Kind of a cool concept, if a bit of whiplash.
As much as I generally liked the book it left me feeling disappointed. I had the same experience with [b:The Orchid Thief|228345|The Orchid Thief|Susan Orlean|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328347217l/228345._SY75_.jpg|911511] The author has a talent for finding interesting things to say about unusual topics and she elevates quirkiness to high comedy. But to my mind these two books lack necessary cohesiveness.
In this book the main theme appears to be a devastating fire at the central building of the LA Public Library in 1986. From that topic she weaves together lots of chapters about personal experiences at libraries along with general historical information and modern day innovations and challenges confronting library systems all over the country. Most of the chapters are good or very good but they just don't fit well together and I couldn't ever understand why she jumped in and out of the fire chapters when she did.
The fire chapters worked best early on and got less interesting as the book progressed.
In this book the main theme appears to be a devastating fire at the central building of the LA Public Library in 1986. From that topic she weaves together lots of chapters about personal experiences at libraries along with general historical information and modern day innovations and challenges confronting library systems all over the country. Most of the chapters are good or very good but they just don't fit well together and I couldn't ever understand why she jumped in and out of the fire chapters when she did.
The fire chapters worked best early on and got less interesting as the book progressed.
Spoiler
The cause of the fire was inconclusive and the lead suspect, Harry Peak, was a quirky but uninteresting dud
Part history, part detective story, part memoir, The Library Book is one good book. Orlean moves the reader from a horrific fire at the Los Angeles Central Library in April 1986 both backward, to the library of her childhood, and forward to the Los Angeles Library of today. The composite picture reveals the library as an institution that is much, much more than a physical repository for books.
Orlean was drawn to tell the story of the Los Angeles library fire when she first heard about it in 2011, soon after moving to LA. She had been invited to tour the historic and architecturally renowned building in downtown Los Angeles and was duly impressed by its beauty and the richness of cultural expression represented by the building. Toward the end of the tour her guide picked up a book and sniffed the pages deeply. He commented, “You can still smell the smoke in some of them.” “Smoke? From when patrons used to smoke in the library?” “No, from the fire.” It was then that Orlean learned about the biggest library fire in American history, one which burned for seven hours, consumed 400,000 books, damaged another 700,000, and required nearly every firefighter in Los Angeles to extinguish the blaze. How had she not known about this remarkable event for 25 years? When she read the newspapers from April , 29, 1986 it became obvious. On that same day the fire was upstaged by another disaster of global proportions—the Chernobyl nuclear plant meltdown that threatened much of the earth with radiation.
The cause of the library fire has never been determined. Any evidence that might have led to an answer was consumed by the flames. But that did not prevent investigators from trying to solve the mystery. The district attorney eventually charged a man named Harry Peak with arson, but the case was later dropped for lack of evidence. Peak was a Los Angeles character, a wannabe actor who preened before the cameras and told many versions of his whereabouts on the morning of the fire. Orlean treats him sympathetically and in the end concludes that he probably had nothing at all to do with the fire.
The heart of the book is not the story of the fire, or even the story of the remarkable building designed by Bertram Goodhue in the 1920s. It beats with the lifeblood of this most American cultural treasure, the public library. Orlean manages to condense more than a century of library history into the pages of her book by weaving the past, full of characters like Charles Lummis, with the many strands of present-day library work. In page after page I could find myself in my own library settings and identify all of the tasks, the tools, and the skills that I used in my career in public, academic, and law libraries. With wit and humor and insight, Orlean enlarges the recounting of the library fire into a remarkable tapestry of life among the books.
Orlean spans writing styles, from prosaic details of how fires burn to exquisite reveries on the purpose of libraries. At times as I read I felt lifted up and carried on a current of air back in time to the libraries I have loved. In Susan Orlean’s own words, "This is why I wanted to write this book, to tell about a place I love that doesn’t belong to me but feels like it is mine, and how that feels marvelous and exceptional. All the things that are wrong in the world seem conquered by a library’s simple unspoken promise: Here I am, please tell me your story; here is my story, please listen."
Orlean was drawn to tell the story of the Los Angeles library fire when she first heard about it in 2011, soon after moving to LA. She had been invited to tour the historic and architecturally renowned building in downtown Los Angeles and was duly impressed by its beauty and the richness of cultural expression represented by the building. Toward the end of the tour her guide picked up a book and sniffed the pages deeply. He commented, “You can still smell the smoke in some of them.” “Smoke? From when patrons used to smoke in the library?” “No, from the fire.” It was then that Orlean learned about the biggest library fire in American history, one which burned for seven hours, consumed 400,000 books, damaged another 700,000, and required nearly every firefighter in Los Angeles to extinguish the blaze. How had she not known about this remarkable event for 25 years? When she read the newspapers from April , 29, 1986 it became obvious. On that same day the fire was upstaged by another disaster of global proportions—the Chernobyl nuclear plant meltdown that threatened much of the earth with radiation.
The cause of the library fire has never been determined. Any evidence that might have led to an answer was consumed by the flames. But that did not prevent investigators from trying to solve the mystery. The district attorney eventually charged a man named Harry Peak with arson, but the case was later dropped for lack of evidence. Peak was a Los Angeles character, a wannabe actor who preened before the cameras and told many versions of his whereabouts on the morning of the fire. Orlean treats him sympathetically and in the end concludes that he probably had nothing at all to do with the fire.
The heart of the book is not the story of the fire, or even the story of the remarkable building designed by Bertram Goodhue in the 1920s. It beats with the lifeblood of this most American cultural treasure, the public library. Orlean manages to condense more than a century of library history into the pages of her book by weaving the past, full of characters like Charles Lummis, with the many strands of present-day library work. In page after page I could find myself in my own library settings and identify all of the tasks, the tools, and the skills that I used in my career in public, academic, and law libraries. With wit and humor and insight, Orlean enlarges the recounting of the library fire into a remarkable tapestry of life among the books.
Orlean spans writing styles, from prosaic details of how fires burn to exquisite reveries on the purpose of libraries. At times as I read I felt lifted up and carried on a current of air back in time to the libraries I have loved. In Susan Orlean’s own words, "This is why I wanted to write this book, to tell about a place I love that doesn’t belong to me but feels like it is mine, and how that feels marvelous and exceptional. All the things that are wrong in the world seem conquered by a library’s simple unspoken promise: Here I am, please tell me your story; here is my story, please listen."
A most interesting book. I have worked in a library and so appreciated the detail of less obvious processes, especially book restoration. However, I think people without that experience might also enjoy the inside look at the variety of what goes on in libraries. Since I also enjoy architecture, I also appreciated the side stories into the design of the central library and the debate over renew or replace.
There are three major threads: a historic horrible fire in the 80s, history of the Los Angeles library, and the author's various visits shadowing various library staff. I don't see any logic to the movement among the threads other than to keep the more exciting fire detail ahead like a carrot to keep one reading. There are some very interesting characters in the other sections as well that kept my interest.
The history of the LA library is set within the history of libraries as they continually reinvent themselves, with the LA library ahead of the curve many times--some ideas implemented, some not. I was distressed that this didn't include women's rights though when Mary Jones was asked to resign simply because they had decided they wanted a male head. I was proud of her law suit, but it was before the law backed non-discrimination. I wanted Lummis her replacement to fail.
There are three major threads: a historic horrible fire in the 80s, history of the Los Angeles library, and the author's various visits shadowing various library staff. I don't see any logic to the movement among the threads other than to keep the more exciting fire detail ahead like a carrot to keep one reading. There are some very interesting characters in the other sections as well that kept my interest.
The history of the LA library is set within the history of libraries as they continually reinvent themselves, with the LA library ahead of the curve many times--some ideas implemented, some not. I was distressed that this didn't include women's rights though when Mary Jones was asked to resign simply because they had decided they wanted a male head. I was proud of her law suit, but it was before the law backed non-discrimination. I wanted Lummis her replacement to fail.
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
What an interesting read! Equal parts memoir, history and mystery! I don’t usually go for a lot of non fiction but this is so good! A book about books and libraries? Come on! What’s not to love? The history of book burning and the fire at the Los Angeles Public Library were fascinating!
I wish there were sufficient words for how much I loved this book. But, suffice it to say, I can’t wait to read it again.
Orlean is a great non-fiction storyteller. She uses the LA library fire as a jumping off point to talk about number of broadly related topics. Will appeal to bibliophiles. Drags occasionally, but always picks up quickly.
