The Library Book by Susan Orlean

Amy     

nonfiction

As a future librarian, how could I not love The Library Book?  It’s a book about libraries! I wish everyone who asks me why I want to be a librarian in this day and age or questions whether libraries are still relevant would read this!  It covers the monumental 1986 fire of the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) in detail and is written in an engaging style that keeps the reader interested despite the potentially flat, factual material.  Susan Orlean covers just about every related topic: architecture and art of the LAPL, the architect himself, the various librarians that managed the LAPL and their histories, the LAPL’s politics/culture throughout its existence, past and present librarians of LAPL, general history of libraries, issues related to and faced by libraries, the details of the LAPL fire, the story of the man accused of setting the fire, the aftermath of and responses to the fire, the past and present patrons of LAPL, the collections and offerings of LAPL—both those lost in the fire and the current materials, history of the city of Los Angeles itself, international and traveling libraries, library organizations and vendors, and the future of libraries.  All of this information is woven together in a stimulating pattern to keep the material from getting boring.

One of the fun things about it is that every chapter starts with a listing of books as a reference list including library catalog identifications.  Excellent! I loved her story about the barbershop quartet singer (!) for personal reasons. I learned a lot while reading this book and re-affirmed my personal love of libraries.  I wondered if the audience for this book would be limited to library aficionados/employees/students, but one of my friends who is not a library enthusiast also enjoyed it very much. 

The author narrated the audiobook herself.  While her voice is not as pleasant as your average narrator, it was clear, genuine, and approachable.  Plus, I enjoy hearing an author narrate her own work because she usually reads it with the same emphasis in which she wrote it.  I give her an A- for her narration.