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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
McSweeney's contributor Douglas was a college student who liked books and needed a job, so he became a page in a "run-down" Anaheim public library. He soon discovered the "dark truth about librarians"-that they don't actually read much. Still, lacking better career plans, he accepted a state grant to get a degree in library science. The more he got to know his local branch, the more it felt like "watching a soap"; the staff was "like a family." When he's not repeating petty tales of staff infighting, Douglas focuses on four types of library users: teens, homeless people, crazy people and the elderly. According to him, most of them smell, all but the elderly make too much noise, and they all, in defiance of library rules, try to access pornography on the internet. After retelling a story of someone masturbating at the computer, or of nefarious activities in the public restroom, the author is quick to follow up with proud words about being a non-discriminatory public servant; his pieties wear thin after awhile. Early on, when Douglas realizes he's a librarian because he loves helping people he's quite likeable, but when his stories become prurient, it's a turn-off.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
McSweeney's contributor Douglas was a college student who liked books and needed a job, so he became a page in a "run-down" Anaheim public library. He soon discovered the "dark truth about librarians"-that they don't actually read much. Still, lacking better career plans, he accepted a state grant to get a degree in library science. The more he got to know his local branch, the more it felt like "watching a soap"; the staff was "like a family." When he's not repeating petty tales of staff infighting, Douglas focuses on four types of library users: teens, homeless people, crazy people and the elderly. According to him, most of them smell, all but the elderly make too much noise, and they all, in defiance of library rules, try to access pornography on the internet. After retelling a story of someone masturbating at the computer, or of nefarious activities in the public restroom, the author is quick to follow up with proud words about being a non-discriminatory public servant; his pieties wear thin after awhile. Early on, when Douglas realizes he's a librarian because he loves helping people he's quite likeable, but when his stories become prurient, it's a turn-off.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"Provides a mostly enjoyable glimpse into the sometimes maddening world of public librarianship...Smirkier than Don Borchert's wry library memoir Free for All, it nonetheless provides real insight."—LibraryJournal.com
"Clear[s] away stereotypes about public-service librarians and affirms their worth...Offers unique and utterly engaging insights, valuable for public librarians, managers, and trustees."—Booklist
“Hilarious and oddly moving.”—Los Angeles Magazine
“[A] gritty and irreverent view of working in a library where bookish isn't always the most apt adjective Douglas raises useful questions about the power of mass media and technology.”—USA Today
“In Quiet, Please, Douglas has given us closet librarians an appreciation of what that job entails.”—Los Angeles Times Book Review
“Very funny stuff.”—Sacramento Bee
“It’s a brutally cool idea: a truth-telling, no-holds- barred look at the daily life of an American public library, from the unique vantage point of the librarian’s desk.”—Buffalo News
“Check out Quiet, Please.”—Publishers Weekly
“Offers an entertaining tour and the interesting perspective of a youngster just entering the profession…[Douglas’s] writing combines a funny mix of sincere and wise-ass…A good read.”—Solares Hill 4/18/08
“A surprisingly funny read…Quiet, Please may be unassuming and almost pathologically self-deprecating on the surface, but it has a core of genuine humanity, comedy and warmth that is so often lacking from more outwardly glitzy autobiographies…There is a rich vein of humour in the book, at times wry and at others boisterous…[Douglas’s] relationships with his co-workers are an ongoing source of comedy, albeit a kind of cringe-inducing absurdity that will be familiar to fans of The Office…He writes with a very American disarming honesty…It must have helped in getting Quiet, Please into print that it began life on the website of über-hip literary group McSweeney's. Douglas uses the same kind of knowing, geekily self-conscious style as the movement's founder, Dave Eggers.”—The Scotsman 4/18/08
“A quick-witted narrative built on brazen humor and historical insight. A valuable book for anyone interested in the business or society of libraries…With an eye for absurdity, Douglas highlights the often-unnoticed humor found in everyday life…A fun trip into the public sector so few notice.”—Metro Spirit
“Librarians, and those that frequent libraries, will have fun reading Scott Douglas’s new memoir…Douglas’s obvious passion for libraries and what they can do