On April 19, 1986, fire broke out at the Los Angeles Central Library. It took 60 fire companies over seven hours and 3 million gallons of water to finally "knock it down." Temperatures inside reached 2,000 degrees. Twenty-two people were injured and 400,000 volumes were destroyed, with another 700,000 damaged by smoke and water. To date, it remains the largest library fire in America and many believe it was deliberately set. If you don't remember hearing much about it at the time, there's a reason. The Los Angeles Central Library burned just as news was coming out of the Soviet Union of a nuclear disaster at Chernobyl.
Author and journalist Susan Orlean sets out to investigate the fire and the presumed arsonist, Harry Peak. Peak, a struggling actor, was arrested for arson but was never charged. Orlean interviews his family and friends to try to determine why he would want to burn the library down. Initially intrigued by the investigation into the fire, Orlean ends up doing a deep dive into the history of the Los Angeles Central Library and its staff. Along the way, she chronicles the importance of libraries as essential institutions and details how they provide so much more than books to their communities. The Library Book is part true crime, part history, part biography, and part love letter to books and libraries.
Once you've read the book, join the overBOOKed book club to discuss The Library Book on Thursday, May 19, at 10:00 a.m. at the Cumming Library. OverBOOKed meets every third Thursday of the month.
The Library Book is available at FCPL in print, large print, and book on CD. The eAudiobook version can be enjoyed on your device through the Libby app. Sign up for a free card today and start enjoying FCPL's digital catalog from wherever you are!
Jen
Information Specialist
Cumming Library
#WeKnowBooks
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