The Library Book - Susan Orlean.

Description:

On the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual fire alarm. As one fireman recounted, "Once that first stack got going, it was 'Goodbye Charlie.'" The fire was disastrous: it reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library - and if so, who? Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, Susan Orlean delivers a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling book that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before.


When I first heard of this book it piqued my interest. I love books, and libraries, and I had never heard about the 1986 Los Angeles Library fire - so I really wanted to read this book! 

Overall, I'd give it 4 Stars. 

There were many things I liked about this book: you could feel the author's love for books and libraries oozing from the pages, and her reminiscing about going to the library as a child really hit a similar cord in my heart. I enjoyed getting a history about the library, and hearing about her interactions with librarians as she was investigating the fire, but at the same time, I felt like there was a lot of information coming at you all at once. It was very informative, and I definitely learned a lot about libraries, and have an even greater appreciation for them - all the work they do for the community and the homeless. Libraries are much more complex than you think. 

It brought to mind times spent at the library when I was younger. Like the author, I can remember the freedom of having my Mom take my siblings and I there. We were free to spread out and explore whatever we wanted, as long as we stayed in the children's area. And we were free to get out lots of books. My Mom helped grow that love for books and reading in my life. 

The thought that someone would purposefully destroy so many books is just horrifying! The author's account of all the books that were destroyed or damaged is just staggering. You really can't even begin to picture that number of books. And my bibliophile heart, aches just thinking about it.

I would recommend this book to any bibliophile, but I'd just say, be prepared to receive a lot of information! It was nice to hear how the library was first started, and the history therein. I didn't realize that so few women worked in libraries starting out.