The Library Diaries reads like Seinfeld meets Lou Dobbs meets Glenn Beck. Issues that most of us are afraid to talk about, issues we have had to veil through humor, are talked about candidly by the author, who has seen the terrible consequences of us not talking about these issues—children’s lives. Open this book and you’ll meet the naked patron, the greedy, unenlightened patrons, destination hell, the masturbator, horny old men, Mr. Three Hats, and a menagerie of other characters you never dreamt were housed at your public library.
Book Description
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Worth the Wait.,
By y_lime (mi) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Library Diaries (Paperback)
I had been excited to get my hands on this book ever since I heard about it because this book is based on the library I worked at as a page during high school.
I read it all in the two hours after receiving it as a birthday present. Every page I turned held a patron I recognized. Almost every page held stories I experienced or heard about when I worked there. I am so glad that this book was finally written. I am deeply angered that this book led to the author's firing. I may not agree with everything she says, but she paints an accurate picture of what goes on every day at your local library. Can't believe I want to pursue library science as a career ;) All in all, I enjoyed this book because for me it was a trip down memory lane. I only wished it was longer--it is a very thin book and I probably wouldn't have bought it for myself (like I said above, it was a present) because I read very quickly and don't like spending money on books that I finish in the same amount of time it takes me to watch a movie. Although I am going to be lending it out to others who don't believe me when I tell them about all the odd people I encountered there!
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Written by a True Librarian,
By
This review is from: The Library Diaries (Paperback)
This wild rant against nightmare citizens, indifferent or corrupt public authorities, social pathologies, and community reality-avoidance obviously sets some people off in a big way, and I'd say rightly so - after all, that's the point of muck-raking. This is an angry, bitter narrative written by someone who is obviously sour and disappointed. Anyone who says that's not a true librarian isn't being honest about the profession...
In many ways, I'd recommend "Free for All" (written by someone ALSO accused of not being a "true librarian") over this. "The Library Diaries" simply isn't at all well-written; it's choppy and episodic; the author can't relate an episode without digressing into politico-philosophical rage; there's either too little information or too much. I assume it's self-published, and it's a strong argument for getting editorial assistance. All that being said, there's at least one good reason for reading it. It's a sort-of "Peyton Place" in reverse - the frustrated rage of someone with social ideals over the destructiveness of far too casually-accepted antisocial non-conformity; uncomfortable realities that public authorities too often prefer to avoid. The author's over-emphasized point, that our taxpayer-supported civic spaces are too often uncivil breeding grounds for anti-social behaviour, is presented in an over-the-top way, but is more than a little true. Whether her extreme suggestions for addressing social issues have any merit is something that, well, more than a few of us will disagree with. Although I can't take the author's mugged-liberal eugenics ideas seriously, I think there are fundamental concerns here that deserve more attention than they have been getting. Sometimes, as the author says, it takes a squeaky wheel to get an apportionment of grease!
9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Dull as ditchwater, as my mother would say,
By
This review is from: The Library Diaries (Paperback)
Excrutiatingly badly written prose plus very mean-spirited accounts of patrons, thinly disguised by changing their names, and, ultimately bad taste all around. An almost-librarian myself, I can identify with all the other reviews complaining this book is a blight on the profession. The intent of the author was to tell humorous tales about colorful local characters. The result is pedestrian prose and humor on a kindergarten level. Feeling I should say at least one good thing (lord knows why), I liked the cover.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
