MARC Record from Library of Congress

LEADER: 02550cam a2200277 a 4500
001 2010004829
003 DLC
005 20110307141108.0
008 100219s2010 nyu 000 0aeng
010 $a 2010004829
020 $a9780385529099 (alk. paper)
020 $a0385529090 (alk. paper)
035 $a(OCoLC)ocn505417106
040 $aDLC$cDLC$dBTCTA$dYDXCP$dUPZ$dMLY$dC#P$dBWX$dVP@$dCDX$dEDK$dDLC
043 $an-us-ma
050 00 $aZ720.S827$bA3 2010
082 00 $a027.6/65092$aB$222
100 1 $aSteinberg, Avi.
245 10 $aRunning the books :$bthe adventures of an accidental prison librarian /$cAvi Steinberg.
250 $a1st ed.
260 $aNew York, NY :$bNan A. Talese,$cc2010.
300 $a399 p. ;$c22 cm.
505 0 $aPart 1: Undelivered -- 1: Up & up and low low -- 2: Books are not mailboxes -- Part 2: Delivered -- 3: Dandelion polenta -- 4: Delivered -- Prologue -- Acknowledgments.
520 $aFrom the Publisher: 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.
600 10 $aSteinberg, Avi.
650 0 $aPrison librarians$zMassachusetts$zBoston$vBiography.