This is more than a book about the Los Angeles Public Library fire in 1986. It is a history of libraries and of the LA library in particular. Susan Orlean delves into what makes libraries great, the fascinating collections they contain and the politics that have played a role in their existence. This book is centered around the largest library fire in history. Many people don't know about it because it happened the same day as the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown, which overshadowed the story in national news. 

But the fire was a huge deal in LA. It blazed for 7 hours and destroyed millions of books. The investigation determined it was arson and Harry Peak became the main suspect. Peak was a part time actor and a full time liar who loved to make up stories to entertain his friends and make himself appear more important than he was. While it was never proven that he started the fire, investigators still believe he did it today. 

This book reads like a love letter to libraries. Susan Orlean grew up in libraries and still visits them today. She was able to learn the history and the inside workings of the LA public library and it is fascinating. My only quibble with the book is that Orlean reads the audiobook herself and I am not sure she was the best choice. Some people have a voice for audio and others do not.