Director of Libraries Message for February
“So many books, so little time.” This quote is often attributed to Frank Zappa, and for regular readers like myself it tends to ring true. I often miss reading popular books when they’re new because I just don’t have time. In fact, I tend to return to a once popular book only when prompted by friends, colleagues or my husband. It is the result of just such a prompt from a colleague that I find myself now reading Celeste Ng’s 2022 bestseller Our Missing Hearts.
Set in a version of our world in which the government pulls out all the stops to preserve “American culture”, it’s a powerful and moving story of a young Asian American boy navigating his way through immense societal challenges to uncover the truth about his missing mother. My colleague who recommended it, snared me with the comment “librarians play a key role in how the story plays out, but no spoilers.” I checked it out from the Library the same afternoon and began reading it as soon as I got home. I will tell you it’s a great read, creative and provocative and yes, librarians play a key role and no, I won’t give any spoilers.
This got me thinking about how often libraries show up as important features in novels. There are the magical libraries such as the setting of Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library , in which the main character can find an endless collection of books, each detailing a path her life may take, should she choose to read it. Similarly, there’s the academic library in Erin Morgenstern’s The Starless Sea, in which the protagonist finds an old mysterious book that surprisingly contains a story from his own life, setting off a magical quest. There are the libraries that represent the irresistible pull of the unknown within its volumes, such as the mayor’s library that proves too tempting to the young girl in Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. There is the librarian who knows just the right book to give to each individual reader to change their life in Aoyama Michiko’s small but magical What You Are Looking For is in the Library. Of course there’s the library as refuge from a larger world spiraling out of control for the young teen at the center of Ruth Ozeki’s The Book of Form and Emptiness.
These books work because they contain a kernel of truth: Libraries are magical. Libraries are full of opportunity. Libraries are places of refuge. Libraries can help each of us discover a little more about ourselves, or who we want to be. Libraries are a magnet for anyone who wants to understand our world and how to navigate it. Most importantly, libraries are open and free for anyone to use.
Come experience some of the magic for yourself at your Santa Cruz Public Libraries!
Christopher Platt
Director of Libraries
Mensaje del Director de Bibliotecas
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