The Library Book
Remarkable
Educational
Unforgettable

The Library Book

Susan Orlean2019
Susan Orlean’s bestseller and New York Times Notable Book is “a sheer delight…as rich in insight and as varied as the treasures contained on the shelves in any local library” (USA TODAY)—a dazzling love letter to a beloved institution and an investigation into one of its greatest mysteries. “Everybody who loves books should check out The Library Book” (The Washington Post). On the morning of April 28, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. The fire was disastrous: it reached two thousand 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, award-winning New Yorker reporter and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean delivers a “delightful…reflection on the past, present, and future of libraries in America” (New York magazine) that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before. In the “exquisitely written, consistently entertaining” (The New York Times) The Library Book, Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries; brings each department of the library to vivid life; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago. “A book lover’s dream…an ambitiously researched, elegantly written book that serves as a portal into a place of history, drama, culture, and stories” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis), Susan Orlean’s thrilling journey through the stacks reveals how these beloved institutions provide much more than just books—and why they remain an essential part of the heart, mind, and soul of our country.
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Sajiya Chaudhary@sajiya_khalik
5 stars
Jul 17, 2024
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Ainsley Jeffery@ainsleyjeffery
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Jul 5, 2024
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3 stars
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4 stars
Oct 4, 2023
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altlovesbooks@altlovesbooks
5 stars
Jul 5, 2023
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Rakan@rakmind
4 stars
Apr 24, 2023
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Dana Kraft@dkatx
3 stars
Aug 15, 2022
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Bambi Ard@bambireads
5 stars
Aug 13, 2022
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Emma Miller@emmam1
4 stars
Aug 9, 2022
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Patty Pforte@pfortep1
5 stars
Jun 11, 2022
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✨Tyler ✨@timecompactor
4 stars
Mar 17, 2022
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Zoe Deckard@ayearinbookswithzoe
4 stars
Feb 25, 2022
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Tori Perdue@toriperdue
4 stars
Feb 25, 2022
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Danna Sabolik@dannakate28
4 stars
Feb 23, 2022
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Nadine @intlnadine
5 stars
Feb 17, 2022
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Mel@biblio_mel
4 stars
Jan 22, 2022
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Kerry McHugh West@gettingkerryedaway
3 stars
Jan 19, 2022
Educational
Long winded
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Alayna Wiezorek@alaynaclairew
2 stars
Jan 9, 2022
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Deanna Kendall@deereads
5 stars
Nov 27, 2021
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Ruby Huber@rubyread
5 stars
Nov 17, 2021
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Kaitlyn Krna@kaitynkrna
5 stars
Oct 21, 2021
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Corrie White @waywardtrekkie
5 stars
Oct 19, 2021
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b.andherbooks@bandherbooks
5 stars
Oct 9, 2021
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Dakota Gigout@brisbookbag
5 stars
Aug 25, 2021

Highlights

Photo of Henry Stromberg
Henry Stromberg@hstromberg
Photo of Henry Stromberg
Henry Stromberg@hstromberg
Photo of Henry Stromberg
Henry Stromberg@hstromberg
Page 94
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Henry Stromberg@hstromberg
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Henry Stromberg@hstromberg
Page 56
Photo of Henry Stromberg
Henry Stromberg@hstromberg
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Photo of Emma Miller
Emma Miller@emmam1
Page 310
Photo of Emma Miller
Emma Miller@emmam1
Page 309
Photo of Emma Miller
Emma Miller@emmam1
Page 309
Photo of Emma Miller
Emma Miller@emmam1
Page 114
Photo of Emma Miller
Emma Miller@emmam1
Page 93
Photo of Emma Miller
Emma Miller@emmam1
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Photo of Emma Miller
Emma Miller@emmam1
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Photo of Emma Miller
Emma Miller@emmam1
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Photo of Katheryn
Katheryn@callmegoddess618
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