My Library Story: How L.A. saved the books
5 years, 6 months ago

My Library Story: How L.A. saved the books

LA Times  

The Los Angeles Times Book Club is reading “The Library Book,” the Susan Orlean bestseller about the 1986 L.A. Library fire. I was the Community Redevelopment Agency’s deputy administrator for downtown L.A. when I managed the outside volunteer effort to get the books out of the library after the fire. “Someone handed me a bullhorn and we were off to the races.” — Patricia Sterne Evans First I made phone calls to the three TV networks asking for volunteers. Patricia Sterne Evans previously worked for the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency and is now a grant writer in Los Angeles.

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History of this topic

The beauty and the chaos: Inside the ever-changing L.A. Library
1 year, 4 months ago

The beauty and the chaos: Inside the ever-changing L.A. Library

LA Times  

Good morning, and welcome to the L.A. Times Book Club newsletter. Downtown’s Central Library is a landmark and the subject of Susan Orlean’s 2019 nonfiction bestseller, “The Library Book,” our first community book club selection. One can see both the beauty and strain of that.” “It’s both a sanctuary of the world’s knowledge and a canvas of the nation’s failings.” …

Memorable moments from the L.A. Times’ Book Club’s first 4 years
1 year, 7 months ago

Memorable moments from the L.A. Times’ Book Club’s first 4 years

LA Times  

In a time of division, the L.A. Times Book Club does something extraordinary: We bring Los Angeles together. Then the pandemic hit, but Los Angeles kept on reading, as our book club moved from in-person events to virtual meet ups that drew thousands of readers every month. It all began on June 25, 2019, when the L.A. Times Book Club …

Susan Orlean and readers share library stories at L.A. Times Book Club launch
5 years, 6 months ago

Susan Orlean and readers share library stories at L.A. Times Book Club launch

LA Times  

L.A. Times Today airs Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Spectrum News 1. In her research for “The Library Book,” Susan Orlean was surprised to learn how many people call the Los Angeles Library on a daily basis with outlandish questions. Orlean shared insights from six years of working on the nonfiction bestseller during the Los …

L.A.’s most bizarre night? Strange talent show for fire-ravaged library brought the city together
5 years, 6 months ago

L.A.’s most bizarre night? Strange talent show for fire-ravaged library brought the city together

LA Times  

L.A. knows how to put on a variety show. The telethon brought together L.A. politicians, titans of business, actors, artists and an eccentric televangelist who served as ringleader in a desperate quest to raise money to benefit the Los Angeles Central Library. Susan Orlean chronicles the devastating fire and devotes a chapter to the telethon in “The Library Book,” which …

Los Angeles Times Book Club reads ‘The Library Book’
5 years, 7 months ago

Los Angeles Times Book Club reads ‘The Library Book’

LA Times  

Just in time for summer reading, the Los Angeles Times Book Club has chosen “The Library Book” as our first community read and will host a June 25 forum with bestselling author Susan Orlean. Sign up for the Los Angeles Times Book Club » “They formed a human chain, passing the books hand over hand from one person to the …

Book Club: Our first pick is ‘The Library Book’
5 years, 7 months ago

Book Club: Our first pick is ‘The Library Book’

LA Times  

L.A. Times Today airs Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Spectrum News 1. Just in time for summer reading, “The Library Book” by Susan Orlean is our first book club selection and community read. Susan Orlean inside the L.A. Public Library, left, and her bestseller “The Library Book.” The author also brings to life legendary characters …

Susan Orlean on the literary culture of Los Angeles
5 years, 8 months ago

Susan Orlean on the literary culture of Los Angeles

LA Times  

Susan Orlean is a prolific writer and author of seven books, including her most recent, “The Library Book,” which tells the story of a “devastating” fire at the Los Angeles Central Library. Sitting down for a video chat at the L.A. Times Festival of Books, Orleans talked about developing an appreciation for, and gaining an education on, the literary traditions …

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