The Library Book: The Los Angeles Library Fire - Susan Orlean

Written by Susan Orlean
Read by Susan Orlean
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

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” (TheWashington Post).

Everyone thought it was a normal fire drill. White smoke was notice coming from the library windows and someone quipped, “Oh look, they’ve elected a new pope.” White smoke… He realized…..white smoke is paper burning.

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?

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.

Susan Orlean is a wonderful narrator for her terrific new book–part memoir, part paean to libraries and librarians, with a focus on the Los Angeles Public Library and the unusual man who may or may not have caused the library’s catastrophic 1986 fire…. At first, I was less sure about her reading. Her Midwestern voice is flattish and somewhat nasal. But it’s well modulated and unique, and the narration is well paced. Soon, I relished her sound as much as her words. The audiobook is addicting–full of intriguing, sometimes bizarre factoids, with a beautiful story arc, and lots of humor. Enjoy. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2018