Incredible!

As a current librarian, this book was the talk of the library world when it first came out. Though it is centered around the infamous fire at the LA Public Library, this took place before I was born and thus I had no context for the situation going into this book. While it is indeed framed around how the community and library staff recovered from the fire, as well as the mystery surrounding how it began, this title is so much more than that.

Susan Orlean is a masterful nonfiction author, able to weave together an incredible narrative while still presenting facts. When presented with reading a book about a library fire, I wasn’t too intrigued as it’s every librairan’s nightmare

As a current librarian, this book was the talk of the library world when it first came out. Though it is centered around the infamous fire at the LA Public Library, this took place before I was born; thus, I had no context for the situation going into this book. While it is indeed framed around how the community and library staff recovered from the fire and the mystery surrounding how it began, this title is so much more than that.

Susan Orlean is a masterful nonfiction author, able to weave together an incredible narrative while still presenting facts. When presented with reading a book about a library fire, I wasn’t too intrigued as it’s every librarian’s nightmare. Still, the rave reviews convinced me to give it a shot. Orlean smartly breaks the books into sections, distinguished by card catalog listings for real books in the LA Public Library that relate to the topics in each area. I admittedly caught onto this halfway through the book, but it was fun for me (as a library nerd) to look through all the titles she picked!

Orlean frames much of this book around the story of Harry Peak, the man most suspected of starting the initial blaze that destroyed the library. His story is about a narcissist with apparent mental health issues, though not a violent or angry man. Although he was a pathological liar, Orlean does a great job balancing the assumptions made about Peak then with what we may now understand more clearly as time passes. Harry is enigmatic, and every section about him reads more bonkers than the next. His story centralizes the book and gives it a complete line, which helps as the rest of the book jumps back and forth through the years.

This is less a true crime book about arson and more a book about the importance of libraries in our modern world. It’s incredible to read snippets from the librarians who worked at the LA Public Library during the fire, as well as current employees. Some have been there since the initial situation and comment on how the role of libraries has changed over the years, and how the building itself has been remodeled multiple times to reflect this changing community.

This is a book that spoke directly to my heart and soul as a librarian. With everything terrible happening in the world right now when it comes to literature, it’s inspiring to read about the importance of my work in this greater context.

. Still, the rave reviews convinced me to give it a shot. Orlean’s smartly breaks the books into sections, distinguished by card catalog listings for real books in the LA Public Library that relate to the topics in each section. I admittedly didn’t catch onto this until about halfway through the book, but it was fun for me (as a library nerd) to look through all the titles she picked!

Orlean frames much of this book around the story of Harry Peak, the man most suspected of starting the initial blaze that destroyed the library. His story is that of a narcissist with clear mental health issues, though not a violent or angry man. Although he was a pathological liar, Orlean does a great job balancing the assumptions made about Peak at the time with what we may now understand more clearly as time has passed. Harry is an enigmatic character and every section about him reads more bonkers than the next. His story centralizes the book and gives it a through line, which really helps as the rest of the book jumps back and forth through the years.

Title: The Library Book
Author:  Susan Orlean
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 317
ISBN: 9781476740188

Three Descriptors: Compelling, Dramatic, Informative

Read Alikes:
The Library by Stuart S. Kells
Portable Magic by Emma Smith
The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt
The Universal History of the Destruction of Books by Fernando Baez