About this item
"One part love letter, one part eulogy, Overdue tells the story of America's public library system . . . Amanda Oliver proves herself a vibrant new literary voice . . . This is a book for all book lovers." - Reza Aslan, author of Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth Who are libraries for, how have they evolved, and why do they fill so many roles in our society today? Based on firsthand experiences from six years of professional work as a librarian in high-poverty neighborhoods of Washington, DC, as well as interviews and research, Overdue begins with Oliver's first day at an "unusual" branch: Northwest One. Using her experience at this branch allows Oliver to highlight the national problems that have existed in libraries since they were founded: racism, segregation, and class inequalities.
About the Author
Amanda Oliver is a writer and former librarian. Her book OVERDUE: Reckoning With the Public Library is forthcoming from Chicago Review Press on March 22, 2022. She is the nonfiction editor for Joyland Magazine. Amanda's writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Electric Literature, Vox, The Rumpus, Pank Magazine, Medium and more. She has been interviewed about libraries and being a librarian for NPR, CBC Radio, The Associated Press, The Guardian, The American Scholar, and American Libraries Magazine. Amanda is the 2020 recipient of the McQuern Award in Non-Fiction Writing, the 2019 Yefe Nof Redesign Residency, and a 2019 Mill House Residency, awarded by author Pam Houston. Her essay Fourteen Women Playing One Guitar was nominated for a 2019 Pushcart Prize. Amanda holds B.A. and M.L.S. degrees from SUNY Buffalo and a M.F.A. in nonfiction from University of California at Riverside. A Buffalo, New York native, she currently calls the Mojave Desert near Joshua Tree home.
