The worst thing about experiencing a fire (assuming all living things are safe and outside) is the waiting, not knowing what survived, if anything. Then there are the worries about smoke and water damage. People don’t really think about water damage but that can be even worse than the smoke. Because of my own fire experience, my love of libraries and books and the fact that I live in Los Angeles, I was interested to read Susan Orlean’s The Library Book. This non-fiction work deals with the 1986 fire at the Los Angeles Public Library. Trust me when I tell you that you don’t need to have experienced a fire firsthand or live in Los Angeles to find The Library Book a fascinating read.
The fire took place on April 29, 1986 and burned for 7 hours. Four hundred thousand books were destroyed and another seven hundred thousand were damaged. Most people didn’t hear about the fire because the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster happened a couple days later and that was the focus of the news. To this day, over thirty years later, who started the fire at the Los Angeles Public Library and why continues to be a mystery.
Susan Orlean masterfully weaves the investigation of the L.A. Public Library fire with history and facts about libraries. Both aspects, as told here, are compelling partly due to the skilled writing and storytelling of Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief. The book is also peppered with her own library experiences and also explores the role of libraries in their communities and how they achieve their objectives. Ms. Orlean’s love and appreciation of books and libraries shines through the words on these pages.
It wasn’t that time stopped in the library. It was as if it were captured here, collected here, and in all libraries—and not only my time, my life, but all human time as well. In the library, time is dammed up—not just stopped but saved.
The book recounts, in an extremely engaging manner, the five year long investigation into the fire. It details one suspect’s varying explanations of where he was and what he was doing on that fateful day, which is captivating in itself. What I found especially intriguing was the history of the L.A. Public Library and the various personalities that were at the helm during its early years. Also of interest was the discussion of libraries across the world and how books get to people in remote places.
The Library Book is an engaging read that will astound you with all sorts of facts and figures interspersed through excellent storytelling that will deepen your appreciation of books and the role of libraries in the human experience.
In Senegal, the polite expression for saying someone died is to say his or her library has burned. When I first heard the phrase, I didn’t understand it, but over time I came to realize it was perfect. Our minds and souls contain volumes made of our experiences and emotions; each individual’s consciousness is a collection of memories we’ve cataloged and stored inside us, a private library of a life lived.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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