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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
A great read. About libraries and arson and LA, and much more.
Parts of this book were interesting but I found myself quite bored at times. It jumped around a lot and was more informational about the history and purpose of libraries rather than about the fire at the LA Library.
What a satisfying reading experience I have had with The Library Book! The writing was detailed and interesting in every way. The structure of the book took me through time exploring general library history, the development of the professional librarian, the specific circumstances of the serious destruction caused by fire in 1986 at the central library in LA, fire science and investigation, the recovery from that fire, library architecture and the history of Los Angeles. There’s more too—real life characters with unforgettable personalities and stories, local government, fundraising/ policy setting, and a good look at innovative ways that libraries serve their communities. Every time there was a passage about the head librarian deciding that younger children could come into the space through the years, I was taken back to my childhood days in my town’s beautiful library. And that first library card when a child can sign their name! Yes! The story of Harry Peak and whether he set that fire will always be a bit of a mystery, but I am really glad that Susan Orlean made me aware of what happened. Libraries do hold so many stories—not simply the ones in the official material housed there, but within each patron’s life and mind as well.
If you love non-fiction that reads like fiction, this will be your favorite book for a long time. The Los Angeles Public Library serves as the protagonist, fire the antagonist, and every book and person in the library's long history are supporting characters that tell the stories of the building, the books, and of knowledge itself. As a librarian, I wept as the flames stole millions of pages from bookshelves and readers in Los Angeles, and continued to grieve as Orlean details the long history of libraries and fires in human history.
This book is definitely one for bibliophiles, but can find a wider audience with people who are interested in world history. It's a fabulous true crime mystery too. I will be buying this for gifts this year.
This book is definitely one for bibliophiles, but can find a wider audience with people who are interested in world history. It's a fabulous true crime mystery too. I will be buying this for gifts this year.
A delightful, zigzagging history of libraries, of Los Angeles, of arson, of municipal governance in the United States, and of course of the LA Central Library itself. While many figures and characters are merely sketched, others are filled in with wild details that would be unbelievable if not true. This city is weirder and realer than we can possibly imagine.
Wonderful exciting deep dive into the LAPL and its history combined with a delightful personal touch. May have wept at the last line in acknowledgements.
This book tells the story of the LA Central Library fire of 1986, the subsequent arson investigation, book burning instances throughout history, the origins of the LA library (as an institution and as a building), and the changes / innovations of the library from its conception through present day. The story (non-fiction) weaves and winds between these elements, jumping through time. In a way that is rare for non-fiction, I found myself caught up in the book, mesmerized by the ups and downs of the library's transformative history. This book rekindled my love of libraries and even got me looking into volunteer opportunities in my local branch.
Dense with facts while remaining engaging and conversational, this book follows three threads: The mystery of the '86 fire, the history of the LA central library and libraries generally, and the contemporary operations of the LA central library and libraries generally. As a library fan (and heavy user), I found it charming and immensely interesting.
Powerful! You think you have to love books to want to read a book about a library, but this was so much more than about books and libraries, the LA Library to be specific, that you realize you just have to love learning. Susan Orlean painted not only a picture of the LA Library during it's most difficult times, but how the idea of a library continues to evolve and change with the times, and yet the one common thread is the desire for information, for community, and for the written word. Orlean's earliest memories of her library experience mimicked mine as my mother would bring me to the library every other week and we would check out stacks of books to read before returning them and checking our more. I use the library so much less now, and feel this renewed need to bring my grandchildren there because of reading this. "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 love letter to libraries. Although I struggle to read non-fiction, the subject matter was intriguing. A tangle of history, true-crime, and the romance of books and libraries.