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OverDrive Product Record

images

cover:
thumbnail:
cover150Wide:
cover300Wide:

formats

mediaType

Audiobook

primaryCreator

role: Author
name: Avi Steinberg

title

Running the Books

dateAdded

2010-12-29T18:05:09.993-05:00

contentDetails

sortTitle

Running the Books The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian

crossRefId

320040

subtitle

The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian

id

5a803b01-51b7-49de-af48-bbb7d306880e

starRating

3.7

OverDrive MetaData

isPublicDomain

False

formats

creators

imprint

Random House Audio

publishDate

2010-10-19T00:00:00-04:00

edition

Unabridged

isOwnedByCollections

True

title

Running the Books

fullDescription

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 titled Thug 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 Books is 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.

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