THE LIBRARY BOOK by Susan Orlean

THE LIBRARY BOOK

by

Susan Orlean

            The genesis of The Library Book, by New Yorker reporter Susan Orlean, is the fire at the Los Angeles Public Library on April 29, 1986. However, the book is about so much more than this one library fire or the Los Angeles Public Library itself.

            We do learn a great deal about the 1986 fire and its primary suspect, Harry Peak. But, we also learn about book burning and some other library fires – including the Library of Alexandria – as well as the history of the Los Angeles Public Library. Naturally, Ray Bradbury and Fahrenheit 451 (much of which was written at a library in Los Angeles) are included. Orlean also discusses the multitudinous roles filled by the library as an institution. After all, the library is not just for collecting and/or lending books.

            In addition to being highly informative, The Library Book is well written and enjoyable to read. One of my favorite parts is the chapter wherein Orlean relates her experiment burning a book (in fire prone California). Orlean deftly describes my feelings about books as she explains her dilemma in selecting a book to burn.

Also, each chapter begins with card catalog entries. I began looking forward to them as much as the material in the chapters themselves. At some point, I would like to go back and read the materials referenced in those entries.

            Orlean’s latest book is informative, interesting, and unique. Quite simply, The Library Book is an amazing reading experience.