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Running the Books
Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian | Avi Steinberg
10 posts | 15 read | 25 to read
Avi Steinberg is stumped. After defecting from yeshiva to Harvard, he has only a senior thesis essay on Bugs Bunny to show for his effort. While his friends and classmates advance in the world, he remains stuck at a crossroads, unable to meet the lofty expectations of his Orthodox Jewish upbringing. And his romantic existence as a freelance obituary writer just isn't cutting it. Seeking direction—and dental insurance—Steinberg takes a job as a librarian in a tough Boston prison. The prison library counter, his new post, attracts con men, minor prophets, ghosts, and an assortment of quirky regulars searching for the perfect book and a connection to the outside world. There's an anxious pimp who solicits Steinberg's help in writing a memoir. A passionate gangster who dreams of hosting a cooking show titledThug Sizzle. A disgruntled officer who instigates a major feud over a Post-it note. A doomed ex-stripper who asks Steinberg to orchestrate a reunion with her estranged son, himself an inmate. Over time, Steinberg is drawn into the accidental community of outcasts that has formed among his bookshelves — a drama he recounts with heartbreak and humor. But when the struggles of the prison library — between life and death, love and loyalty — become personal, Steinberg is forced to take sides. Running the Booksis a trenchant exploration of prison culture and an entertaining tale of one young man's earnest attempt to find his place in the world while trying not to get fired in the process. From the Hardcover edition.
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review
charl08
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Mehso-so

Thought provoking, but I wanted to like it more than I actually did!

StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego That image is cool! 5y
charl08 @StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego True. I was tempted to hold on to it just for the nice cover. 5y
44 likes2 comments
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charl08
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I like the distinction.
Which are you?

rretzler Interesting question - I suppose I‘m a little of both, but leaning toward being an archivist. I only read books that I‘m interested in. I rarely take someone else‘s advice, although if someone rates something highly I check it out and make my own conclusions. I‘m a bit of a collector of Golden Age Detective fiction but I like the shiny, new books of the authors whose series I follow and always preorder the new. But I‘m sentimental about my books! 5y
charl08 @rretzler I think I'm archivist. I hate throwing out a book. I do it, but I regret it like crazy. 5y
31 likes1 stack add2 comments
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charl08
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This image of people explaining themselves with books, naturally, appeals.

41 likes1 stack add
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charl08
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You know you're not doing well...

I've wanted to read this for ages. Despite hints, no-one bought it for me, and the library drew a blank. So I've bought it for myself!

review
bookishbitch
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Pickpick

Interesting subject and well written. He did a nice job portraying the people around him, co-workers and inmates, and self reflected along the way. He made mistakes on the job but owned them. I did feel the ending was a bit abrupt. I would choose between pick and so-so if that were an option.

11 likes1 stack add
review
halleycat
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Pickpick

What could have easily become essentializing or sentimental is instead deeply felt! (mostly) I am a fan!

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GoneFishing

Harvard was a lovely assisted-living facility from which I'd emerged, like my classmates, stupider and more confident.

32 likes3 stack adds
blurb
Exlibrisbitsy
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Pimps make the best librarians. Psycho killers the worst. Ditto conmen. Gangsters, gun runners, bank robbers – adept at crowd control, at collaborating with a small staff, at planning with deliberation and executing with contained fury – all possess the librarian‘s basic skill set. Scalpers and loan sharks certainly have a role to play. But even they lack that something, the je ne sais quoi, the elusive it. What would a pimp call it? Yes: the love

7 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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BrandyBivens
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"Pimps make the best librarians" #NationalReadABookDay