Susan Orlean - The Library Book

Susan Orlean is the author of twelve books, including The Orchid Thief (which inspired the Oscar-award winning film Adaptation), a staff writer at The New Yorker — and the host of Book Exploder. But for this first episode of the series, she’s interviewed by Hrishikesh Hirway about her own book, The Library Book.

Published in 2018, The Library Book became a New York Times Best Seller and named a Washington Post Top 10 Book of the Year. The book tells the story of the 1986 fire at the Los Angeles Central Library. In this inaugural episode, Susan discusses a passage from her book, which details the blaze itself.

You can buy The Library Book here and listen to the audiobook on Audible.

Illustration by Paula Jackson