Fire in the Stacks: A Real Horror Story by Theresa Gauthier

 The Library Book by Susan Orlean

The thing about scary stories that has always eluded me is that I don't see a lot of point in trying to be terrified. Same with roller coasters. I'm just not a fan of terror. That said, the book I find truly terrifying and was unable to put down isn't your normal horror story. No vampires. No werewolves. No serial killers wearing sports equipment. This is a book about a fire in a library.  

A FIRE in a LIBRARY: It's a visceral fear that makes my heart skip a beat when I think about it.

I’m not one for True Crime. I’ve read more than a few of them, but I classify them with horror movies and thrill rides. Paying for the privilege of being scared isn’t something I understand. I feel the same way about roller coasters and horror movies.

Susan Orlean’s The Library Book is a far cry from your ordinary True Crime story. Examining in impressive detail the 1986 fire at the Los Angeles Central Library. Part history, part love letter to libraries, librarians, books, and reading, the book is a must for anyone who loves the written word, anyone who feels drawn to libraries and books, and anyone who just loves a good story told well.

Orlean loved libraries as a child, and her descriptions of the trips she’d take to her local library with her mother paint a picture familiar to most people. I recall many similar trips when I’d climb into Dad’s Oldsmobile and take the journey to the new library with my him and my sister. Dad would leave us in the Children’s department and he’d head off to find his selections. My sister and I would get the limit of books we were allowed: 5 apiece. We’d read our own selections and then swap. We each read 10 books every two weeks for most of my childhood. I have precious memories of being in that building searching for books and delighting as much in the search as in the final selection.

Libraries have long been places of community, learning, shelter, and friendship. Orlean’s tome dives deep into the history of libraries in general and of the Los Angeles Central Library.  

The fire was a devastating one. Any library fire is a nightmare, but this particular one seems to have been a perfect storm with firefighters telling Orlean that it was the worst fire they’d ever fought. It burned long (7 hours) and hot (2,500 degrees) with a  colorless and sometimes blue flame. This information alone gives me pause. We don’t ever think of building fires as having anything other than red or orange flames. What about this building produced such a hot flame? Yes, books are flammable, but 2,500 degrees? It’s astonishing to me.

Four hundred thousand books were destroyed and 700,000 more were damaged. The library was closed for seven years as the city tried to salvage what remained. 

Orlean learned of it when visiting the library. The head librarian sniffed a book and told her it still smelled of smoke. At the time of the fire, she’d been living on the east coast, and so had no recollection of it. Research showed her it happened at the same time as the Chernobyl disaster, and wasn’t mentioned in east coast papers for days after the library has stopped burning.

This was a mesmerizing book. It was one of those I thought about whenever I wasn’t reading it, and couldn’t wait to get back to when I was compelled to do something else—like work or sleep! Orlean brings the story to life, painting vivid pictures of the first itself as well as the history of the library and the recovery of the community and librarians. The historical information is fascinating. This is no dry reference book. More like a novel, she describes in vivid detail all of the characters who walked the halls of the Los Angeles Central Library and all of the locations it inhabited in its long history.

This is also one of those books that makes me want to read similar books. Maybe not True Crime, as I’m not really a fan of such literature though I have read some of it for various reasons. Historical books about books, fiction books about books, any books about books would definitely fit the bill. 

As for the True Crime aspect, I’m not sure if I agree with Orlean’s conclusion, though it seems logical. The opposite also seems logical. Therein lies the problem with this case. Was it arson? Was it an accident? I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure. In any case, this book is a great read.