{"product_id":"overdue-reckoning-with-the-public-library-9781641605311","title":"Overdue: Reckoning with the Public Library","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"One part love letter, one part eulogy, \u003ci\u003eOverdue \u003c\/i\u003etells the story of America's public library system . . . Amanda Oliver proves herself a vibrant new literary voice . . . This is a book for all book lovers.\" --Reza Aslan, author of\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazaret\u003c\/b\u003eh\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Who are libraries for, how have they evolved, and why do they fill so many roles in our society today? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Based on firsthand experiences from six years of professional work as a librarian in high-poverty neighborhoods of Washington, DC, as well as interviews and research, \u003ci\u003eOverdue\u003c\/i\u003e begins with Oliver's first day at an \"unusual\" branch: Northwest One. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Using her experience at this branch allows Oliver to highlight the national problems that have existed in libraries since they were founded: racism, segregation, and class inequalities. These age-old problems have evolved into police violence, the opioid epidemic, rampant houselessness, and lack of mental health care nationwide--all of which come to a head in public library spaces. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Can public librarians continue to play the many roles they are tasked with? Can American society sustain one of its most noble institutions? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePushing against hundreds of years of stereotypes, romanticization, and discomfort with a call to reckoning, \u003ci\u003eOverdue\u003c\/i\u003e will change the way you think about libraries forever.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmanda Oliver\u003c\/b\u003e is a writer and former librarian. Her writing has been featured in the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eVox\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eElectric Literature\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMedium\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Rumpus\u003c\/i\u003e. She has been interviewed about libraries and being a librarian for NPR, CBC Radio, Associated Press, and \u003ci\u003eAmerican Libraries Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e. Oliver is a graduate of the MLS program at SUNY Buffalo and the MFA program at UC Riverside. A Buffalo, New York, native, she now lives and writes in the Mojave Desert near Joshua Tree.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Chicago Review Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50561642397970,"sku":"9781641605311","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_cded145e-1b8c-473a-9d8d-75a1c77ce5cd.jpg?v=1731849660","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/overdue-reckoning-with-the-public-library-9781641605311","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}