The Library Book
(Inglese) 16 ott 2018
Editore: Simon & Schuster (16 ottobre 2018)
Lingua: Inglese
Copertina rigida: 317 pagine
ISBN-10: 9781476740188
ISBN-13: 978-1476740188
A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK
A WASHINGTON POST TOP 10 BOOK OF THE YEAR * A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER and NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2018
“A constant pleasure to read…Everybody who loves books should check out The Library Book.” —The Washington Post
“CAPTIVATING…DELIGHTFUL.” —Christian Science Monitor * “EXQUISITELY WRITTEN, CONSISTENTLY ENTERTAINING.” —The New York Times * “MESMERIZING…RIVETING.” —Booklist (starred review)
A
dazzling love letter to a beloved institution—and an investigation into
one of its greatest mysteries—from the bestselling author hailed as a
“national treasure” by The Washington Post.
On
the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles
Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had
been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual fire
alarm. As one fireman recounted, “Once that first stack got going, it
was ‘Goodbye, Charlie.’” The fire was disastrous: it reached 2000
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 mesmerizing and uniquely compelling book
that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a
way that has never been done before.
In 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 across the country and around the world, from
their humble beginnings as a metropolitan charitable initiative to their
current status as a cornerstone of national identity; brings each
department of the library to vivid life through on-the-ground reporting;
studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; reflects
on her own experiences in libraries; and reexamines the case of Harry
Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL
more than thirty years ago.
Along the way, Orlean introduces us
to an unforgettable cast of characters from libraries past and
present—from Mary Foy, who in 1880 at eighteen years old was named the
head of the Los Angeles Public Library at a time when men still
dominated the role, to Dr. C.J.K. Jones, a pastor, citrus farmer, and
polymath known as “The Human Encyclopedia” who roamed the library
dispensing information; from Charles Lummis, a wildly eccentric
journalist and adventurer who was determined to make the L.A. library
one of the best in the world, to the current staff, who do heroic work
every day to ensure that their institution remains a vital part of the
city it serves.
Brimming with her signature wit, insight, compassion, and talent for deep research, The Library Book is
Susan Orlean’s thrilling journey through the stacks that 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. It is also a master journalist’s reminder that, perhaps
especially in the digital era, they are more necessary than ever.
RECENSIONE
‘The Library Book di Susan Orlean documenta il devastante incendio che ha infuriato per sette ore la biblioteca pubblica di Los Angeles nell'aprile del 1986 e ha distrutto o danneggiato oltre un milione di libri. Gli investigatori hanno rapidamente concluso che l'incendio è stato probabilmente un attacco doloso ma la causa non è mai stata risolta e il principale sospetto, il piromane Harry Peak, è stato arrestato ma mai accusato.
L'incendio è scoppiato proprio quando le notizie sul disastro di Chernobyl sono diventate note in tutto il mondo. Oltre alle conseguenze, Susan Orlean intreccia nella storia della Biblioteca pubblica di Los Angeles e dei personaggi che l'hanno gestita da quando è stata fondata nel 1872.
Ray Bradburg autore del più famoso romanzo "Fahrenheit 451", era un frequente visitatore nella sua giovinezza. Circa 100 milioni di libri furono bruciati dai nazisti e anche se la distruzione delle biblioteche potrebbe essere un modo inefficiente di condurre la guerra da una prospettiva militare, la deliberata distruzione dei libri ha ancora un'enorme risonanza emotiva e culturale.
RECENSIONE IN INGLESE
"The Library Book by Susan Orlean documents the devastating fire that raged for
seven hours at the Los Angeles public library in April 1986 and destroyed or damaged
over a million books. Investigators quickly concluded that the fire was probably
a malicious attack but the cause was never resolved and the main suspect, the
arsonist Harry Peak, was arrested but never charged.
The fire broke out just as news of the Chernobyl disaster became known throughout
the world. In addition to the consequences, Susan Orlean is intertwined in the
history of the Los Angeles Public Library and the people who have managed it since
it was founded in 1872.
Ray Bradburg, author of the most famous novel "Fahrenheit 451", was a frequent
visitor in his youth. About 100 million books were burned by the Nazis and even if
the destruction of libraries could be an inefficient way to wage war from a military
perspective, the deliberate destruction of books still has an enormous emotional and
cultural resonance.
