The Library Book

By: Susan Orlean

Narrated by: Susan Orlean

Susan Orlean’s bestseller, New York Times Notable Book, and Reese’s Book Club Pick 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” (The Minnesota Star Tribune), 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.

Once you get past the narrator . . .

. . . it's a GREAT story. As one of the other commentators mentioned, I too almost stopped listening to this book w/in the first 5-10 minutes of listening. My commute to work increased threefold recently so I really needed something to distract me and I almost gave up on listening to this book within the first chapter. Ms. Orlean wrote a great story, but she's not a great narrator. Her reading was "wet" and that was definitely a distraction. That being said, I quickly got hooked on the story and was able to get past her narration. I've even recommended it to numerous friends (with the caveat that listening to it might not be as enjoyable as reading it themselves.) As a lover of books, a history major, a collector of trivia and volunteer at our city's libraries this story was a joy to encounter. I described it to a friend as a daisy with the burning of the LA library as the flower head and all the different tangents Ms. Orleans covered the petals. Each petal was it's own minor story, interesting in its own right, yet connected to really give you a much better appreciation of not just what was lost, but libraries as a whole. Ms. Orlean's did some outstanding research. The stories she found of the early librarians, were as fascinating as the in-person interviews she got from the firemen who fought the fire. There were so many facts that she brought that really whetted my appetite. There's no doubt I'll go back and reference it in some way in the future, but it'll be the print version, not the Audible one.

Did not disappoint

I bought this book primarily because I am a fan of Susan Orlean. Loved the Orchid Thief. This book has so many layers of so much information that I didn’t know about and never thought about. It brought me back to my childhood memories of being at the library and finding my very first series books, Little House on the Prairie. I remembered the look of pleasure on my librarian’s face when I took my selections and put them in a red wagon to take back home, 1.3 miles walking (I just checked it). It was a trek I made so many times before, as a teenager, I got my drivers license and could drive there.

I recommend it because it is informative (I don’t know why I didn’t remember the fire, I lived in Southern California at the time), interesting and the scope was amazing. I hope others enjoy it, too.

Outstanding book, narrator not so good

As a library lover, I absolutely loved this book! It is extremely well researched and the author’s writing style is terrific. The only thing I did not care for was that the author was also the narrator, and it is not her strong point. Her voice was difficult to listen to, which is disappointing because her book is so well done! I wish someone else has read it.

Not just another library book. . .

Absolutely fabulous book about libraries! It reminds me of my time growing-up in Southern California, amidst orange and avocado groves. We were poor. . .I didn't know it. . .and walking to the library once or twice a week was our sum total of entertainment. It was more than enough! Ms Orlean's book dove deep in my past and memories and landed in my heart. . .I so enjoyed her wandering way of educating me, and her crazy like a fox format that sprawls maps and art and family drama. It overarches and then shines surgical light on the city, its abundance and inadequacies at the same time you walk through a pseudo job share with bunches of city job holders. Then you get to think about books. . .all those books and then your own books. . .the ones that shaped you and your own self-lore, the stuff from which you wring out your many closely held opinions. What an incredible book. I will be seeking more of this author's books. . .but I will for sure read this one again.

It gets more interesting

The voice of the author is somewhat blah... however I learned so much about libraries!