It is my opinion that the heart of a community is its library. Libraries house the thoughts and words of hundreds, even thousands of people, along with maps, films, photographs, artifacts and so much more that benefits the public it serves. So, when the heart of the community has an attack, the entire community – just like a living being – suffers. This happened to the city of Los Angeles on July 28, 1986.
The downtown Public library of Los Angeles caught fire, or was set on fire, that morning – and burned for more than seven hours – sometimes at over 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. You are probably wondering why you don’t remember this, because surely it would have caught your attention in the news, since it was the largest library fire to ever happen in the world.
Most likely it was because in the early morning hours of April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine (formerly part of the Soviet Union) exploded, creating what many consider the worst nuclear disaster the world has ever seen. Our eyes and those of every media site in the world were on a different part of the planet.
Susan Orlean, a very well-respected writer who moved to Los Angeles about five years ago, heard about the fire for the first time when she signed up for a library card. She became so intrigued that she researched, interviewed, and chronicled the entire history of Los Angeles’ library system from the first day it began through the fire in 1986, and then onward to today. Her efforts, found in the award winning “The Library Book,” are a riveting account of this institution and its historic fire. A history of the LA community’s heart, a biography of the various quirky, improbable, and unique librarians, a story of the architects who contributed to the design, and a remarkable reading experience in immersion journalism, are all part of this exceptional piece of research.
Additionally, Orlean mixes in the possibility of true crime. But was it? Thirty years later, no one still really knows! Several witnesses stated that earlier that morning, just before the fire, they saw a “suspicious” man in various locations in the library, most of them off-limits to patrons. A bit-part actor named Harry Peak was identified and tried, but never convicted of starting the fire, where over 400,000 books burned. Whether or not he was guilty we will never know – but it makes for a compelling read.
Finally, Orlean expands her writing to address the concept of a library itself. She tells what a library means to a community, how libraries have evolved both in the United States as well as around the world, and why in this digital era libraries are even more important. What I found most interesting is how the entire city of Los Angeles came together during and after the fire to help salvage books, take care of the firemen and librarians, and find money to rebuild. The heart of the city was rehabilitated and made even better. This was a happy ending to what started out as a terrible tragedy, and I enjoyed every page of the story about this marvelous, historic building, and its rebirth.
Other books have included the downtown LA library as part of the plot and one I particularly enjoyed is the novel “The Bookish Life of Nina Hill” by Abbi Waxman. Nina, our main character, began her reading adventure in the very same downtown Los Angeles public library. The moment she walked into the rotunda she knew she had found a home. Nina was 4 at the time and the only child of a single mother who spent more time working around the world as a famous photo-journalist than a parent. Nina was brought up by a book-loving nanny. But, Nina grew up do just what she wanted. Nina worked in a bookstore, was a member of a trivia team, had a cat named Phil, and was a constant reader.
But then her father died. Nina didn’t even know her mother knew who her father was (back story – mom slept around a bit, but while she certainly knew Nina’s father, she simply decided not to tell). Suddenly Nina has sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, and stepmothers. How does Nina find out? Her father kept an eye on her all these years and mentioned her in his will. The very reclusive, bookish Nina has to get to know this family, come out of her shell, and make some serious decisions. Options include hide in her apartment, relocate to a deserted island, or just change her name. What will she do? Not telling. Just read the book and enjoy the funny, moving and very charming story.
And speaking of charming – “The Book Charmer” by Karen Hawkins is a great work of contemporary women’s fiction and magic realism. If your head is swimming a bit from that last sentence let me explain. There are various new genres out there to appeal to different audiences, and a Very Big One Right Now is that which is written for women who like to read about a safe and often fully integrated community, with no foul language in the text, characters who possess other-worldly traits (which may or may not really be somewhat magical) and a little bit of romance.
In this particular novel the residents of Dove Pond, North Carolina, pride themselves on having a founding family that every so many generations produce seven daughters. When this happens good luck follows, and in this current generation some serious good luck is really needed.
Sarah Dove, the seventh daughter, discovers at an early age that books whisper their secrets to her. She grows up to become the town librarian, and one day is told by the books that they are really concerned about the community. Unbeknownst to everyone (except the books and the bumbling mayor) the town is facing a financial catastrophe. Not knowing what to do, Sarah explores further by asking the oldest book in the library and finds Grace Wheeler, the new town clerk, to be the individual all those books are talking about – and the only one who can help avert this disaster.
Poor Grace. Grace’s sister has recently died leaving her as the new parent to her eight-year-old niece Daisy, as well as suddenly the caretaker to her once-fostermother, originally from Dove Pond, who is now in need of guardianship due to a recent diagnosis of dementia. Grace has quit her high-powered financial job to move her newly-acquired family to Dove Pond in hopes of helping her foster mother reclaim early memories and slow down her decline.
Fate is not going to let that happen. Instead, Grace is seen by Sarah Dove, and all the books of course, as the town’s salvation and she gets dragged into the middle of the whole debacle. The story that follows is warm, engaging, and, yes, just a bit magical. I warn you though, not all answers are forthcoming at the end of the book. This is the beginning of a series, and according to my research, Hawkins will be coming out with a second book in May. Be ready to get hooked on this town, its issues and its people while we eagerly await the next installment. After all, libraries and books: what better way to anticipate spring?