Running the Books - Giveaway

GIVEAWAY

2 copies available
RUNNING THE BOOKS

the Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian

Liz at Random House has a great book for us as a giveaway.  My review copy arrived today and it looks great! This certainly fits well in my with my Month of Memoirs list.  I think it sounds fascinating and can't wait to read it.   I'm sitting on my hands to keep from butting it to the top of the queue, but it's going to be right up there. Here's the blurb:

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.

About the Author: Avi Steinberg was born in Jerusalem and raised in Cleveland and Boston. His work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Boston Globe, New York Review of Books, Salon, the Paris Review and the Daily Beast and others. He is both a cat and a dog person.  You can see more raves on the author's homepage.

Here are the rules for the giveaway: 

1. For one entry, leave a comment telling me if you've read any good memoirs recently.
2. For an extra entry, leave a separate comment telling me you're a follower (or become one and let me know).
3. For another entry,  make a separate entry telling me you blogged about the giveaway, (sidebars are fine) and LEAVE ME THE LINK to the posting (if I don't get a link, the entry doesn't count).US addresses only, no PO Boxes.
4. You MUST leave me an email address to contact you.  NO EMAIL, NO WIN.
5. Deadline is Nov 12 -noon EDT.

Thanks again to Liz at Doubleday/Random House for making this one available.