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A review by pagesfromhome
The Library Book by Susan Orlean
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Racism