"Free For All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library" by Don Borchert

Free For All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library

by Don Borchert

B Borchert available at Beaufort Branch

"The author highlights his ten years as a civil servant, a library assistant, working in a public library in a Los Angeles suburb. He takes awhile to break into a stride, but perhaps that's because his writing style is consistent and it has taken me awhile to get my reading stride to catch up. At any rate, the book just got better and better and more and more hilarious. Borchert has a great vocabulary, and knows just the right words to set our mind's visual image where it should be. If you are offended by certain 4-letter words, or if they tend to trip you up and get in the way of the plot, then this is not the book for you. But if you would like a sometimes irreverent, behind-the-scenes look at the kinds of things a library civil servant encounters, with a witty banter coupled with poignant passages, then I can highly recommend this book! Since there was no picture of the author, and no mention of the books he likes to read, I did a bit of Web sleuthing and was shocked to see he's a 58-year old man! His voice is that of a 30-something hipster. In FREE FOR ALL we are given a view into a very multicultural, multiethnic community, which adds to the complexity of librarian-patron relations. There are plenty of oddball personalities that will have you rolling your eyes and shaking your head, along with the interesting dynamics of personalities of those that work in this public sphere. Any librarian will appreciate and enjoy this book, which illustrates how libraries can be very dynamic, often surprising places to work and learn about the world and each other. Others who are frequent library users will also find this fun and insightful. FREE FOR ALL is fast-paced, and is perfect for a light, enjoyable, summer read."

Review provided by Brenda Beasley, Beaufort County Library (staff)