Vickie Lewis
Free for All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library (2007)
Author: Don Borchert
Genre: Memoir (Librarians)
Book Summary:
Free for All is a compilation of tales from the workings of a Public Library in California. Each chapter is dedicated to a hilarious (the bureaucratic “Friends” of the library), heinous (the serial fine holders), or hopeful (the Renaissance patron) aspect to Borchert's library where he works as a Library Assistant. From illuminated manuscripts in the donation box to dildos in the book return bin this memoir is sure to entertain if not shock the average library patron.
Geographical Setting: Lomita, California
Time Period: Contemporary (the author's lifetime to 2007)
Appeal Characteristics:
The key appeal to Borchert's memoir is his cynical writing style which is quite humorous for the reader. He chronicles bits of his career through short stories disguised as chapters making the book easy to pick up and put down as desired. While the memoir is set in California, the author's telling of events could easily be imagined to take place in a local library near the reader. A major appeal to this book is that it is in fact about working in a public library- a somewhat mysterious career despite its publicly funded dollars. Borchert also has plenty of interesting if not funny observations on human behavior in his work of nonfiction making it a worthy study for all curious parties of the human condition.
Read-alikes: Those who read Free for All out of pure curiosity for the lifestyle and want yet another humorous look at librarianship should try Quiet Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian by Scott Douglas. Douglas is a librarian at the Anaheim Public Library who serves up some quirky stories of his own in this enjoyable memoir. A reader who enjoys reading about the underside of seemingly well-known jobs with a somewhat cynical writing style may like Punching In: The Unauthorized Adventures of a Front-Line Employee by Alex Frankel. Over an undisclosed amount of time Frankel works at Starbucks and UPS, among others, and discloses the good, the bad, and the ugly of punching in. For another humorous look at library life in a town that could be near you check out Unshelved by Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes. It is a compilation of highly acclaimed comic strips of the same title centered around a fictional library but based on the author's actual experiences. For another nonfictional look at the life of a librarian and further observations on the human condition, but with a more serious tone, try An Illuminated Life: Belle da Costa Greene's Journey from Prejudice to Privilege by Heidi Ardizzone. Belle da Costa Greene was J.P. Morgan's personal librarian for many years hiding her black heritage at the turn of the twentieth century. She socialized and took lovers within the most elite New York society at the time deeming her an impressive figure for study. Someone who loved Borchert's cynical style and looking at the underside of a mysterious public position should take a look at Rock On: An Office Power Ballad by Dan Kennedy. It is Kennedy's humorous memoir focusing on the time he spent working for Atlantic Records as an advertising executive and his run-ins with celebrities and celebrity-wannabes alike.
Red Flags: explicit language
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