Book Review: "The Librarian" by Larry Beinhart

~One of the (many) classes I'm enrolled in this semester is "Resource Selection and Evaluation", which teaches how to choose books and other materials for a library, and evaluate existing materials. A recent assignment had me write a book review, so to keep in practice, I once again present another review for your enlightenment. This time around, I'll be reviewing the career-appropriate The Librarian by author Larry Beinhart. (No, no, not that "The Librarian"!)

Beinhart is most famous for his book American Hero, which was filmed as Wag the Dog (which I have not seen, but was apparently well-received). "The Librarian" is a very political book, as the plot revolves around a conspiracy to steal the presidential election. The protagonist, mild-mannered university librarian David Goldberg, is hired by an elderly, ultraconservative billionaire who is assembling a memorial library about himself. While the library in question consists mainly of real-estate deals and dossiers, hidden within the papers are details on the conspiracy, which involves tilting the election in favor of incumbent President Gus Winthrop Scott (hint: look at his first two initials) should it look as if he will lose.

Goldberg soon finds himself fleeing for his life from a squad of sadistic Homeland Security operatives who are in on the conspiracy and are convinced that Goldberg has uncovered the details. Initially clueless, he is forced to retrace his steps and find out what exactly he is supposed to know that makes him so dangerous. Along the way, there are car chases, explosions, gun fights, beautiful women, daring fire escape escapes, and a taser glove ("Don't tase me, bro!").

Politically, the book pulls no punches. The President in the novel is a clear stand-in for our favorite Supreme Leader, right down to his speech patterns, background, and general level of intelligence. Likewise, the main conspirator bears a suspicious resemblance to a certain ex-CEO. The plot, when revealed, is on the far side of implausibility, but the ride Goldberg goes on to discover it is nonetheless a lot of fun.

Interspersed in the book are little gems of wisdom, such as the joy of libraries ("Like communism, without all the Marxist bullshit. Free information for all, as much as you want, no charge, no, seriously, no hidden fees...") and the reason people don't believe in conspiracy theories, even if the evidence is obvious (because knowing it will change nothing, hence the knowledge is worthless and a waste of time).

[On a vaguely-related note, here is a hilarious posting from a truly ignorant person. See if you can find a solution to his dilemma, then check out the pun war that resulted on reddit.]

All in all, "The Librarian" is great fun, especially for anyone who's worked in a library or, like me, is studying to do so. However, if your leanings are more dexter than sinister, you may find the politics of this book odious. So if you ever thought that librarianship was a boring job that involved shushing loud people and endlessly re-shelving books, you may want to read this. Sometimes, there are dangerous things hidden in the stacks...