Made in the U.S.A. by Billie Letts

 

When 15-year old Lutie and her 11-year old brother Fate discover that their guardian, Floy, has dropped dead at the check out of theWal-Mart in Spearfish, South Dakota, they take off in Floy's Pontiac hoping to find their long-absent father in Las Vegas. One of the first things they learn in Vegas, is that they can park their car for free overnight in the public library parking lot. Lutie then begins a search for money that includes panhandling, stealing, minimum wage jobs, and sexual exploitation. Fate, however, discovers the wonders of the Clark County Public Library. Although unable to get a library card because he does not have a parent to sign for him, the librarians make sure that Fate is welcome to read all he wants while inside the building, and set him up to use the computers. The description of the library is rich with diverse patrons, and holds treasures of books, documents, and other information. It is clearly a well-used and well-loved place with story hours and a welcoming staff. Letts truly shows the library, and librarians as beacons of light in what is otherwise "Sin City" for Fate. Letts is a good storyteller, who clearly understands the value of a good library.

Thanks, Martin

This project was partially inspired by Martin Raish's Librarians in the Movies page. Raish has undertaken to list, and rank, all movies that feature libraries or librarians. The ranks depend on how heavily the library is featured in the film, and whether the librarians have speaking parts. It is a fun page, and he is glad to add information when provided. When I wrote my first blog "My Year of Reading 'Year of' Books" I began a tradition of mentioning whenever the author refered to libraries or librarians in the work. This was continued in my next year-long project with the Celebrating the States blog. Since then whenever I read a book that includes a mention of libraries I have felt a need to write something about it, but since my current blog (Una Nueva Receta Cada Semana) is about cooking, it does not seem like the right venue for it. So I am starting a new blog, that will be on-going, rather than year long, in which I will be able to post about "library" books. The reviews will focus on how librararians are portrayed in each.