The Librarian of Burned Books: A Novel

The Librarian of Burned Books (2023) is a work of historical fiction by American author Brianna Labuskes. It follows the interconnected lives of three women living through World War II, with the stories ranging from 1932 to 1944. All three women are connected to books and storytelling in their individual lives, and their narratives explore themes of The Restorative Power of Reading, The Dangers of Censorship and Oppression, and the role stories play in maintaining Hope and Human Endurance.

This study guide uses the 2023 paperback edition from HarperCollins.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss antisemitism.

Plot Summary

In New York in 1944, Vivian Childs has recently lost her husband in the war and is fighting her own home-front battle against a proposed censorship plan that would hinder her work with the Armed Services Editions (ASEs)—paperback books that are sent as morale boosters to soldiers fighting abroad. In Berlin in 1932, American novelist Althea James has been invited by Hitler’s political party as part of a cultural residency to improve German and American relations. In Paris in 1936, a German Jewish woman, Hannah Brecht, works at a library that champions banned books while reeling from the betrayal of a friend and worrying about her brother, Adam, who is being held captive by the Nazis.

In Berlin, Althea is amazed and intimidated by her new metropolitan life. She is welcomed by her handsome liaison, Diedrich, and befriends two women: the actress and screenwriter Deveraux Charles, and her friend Hannah Brecht. She soon learns that her Nazi hosts are not as kind as she initially thought and that Hannah’s friends, particularly her brother, are involved in a dangerous resistance movement. Several months after her arrival, Althea and Hannah witness a horrific ceremonial fire in which thousands of books are burned in support of Nazi rule. Althea, whose entire life has been driven by her love of books, is traumatized and ultimately turns her back on the Nazis. She and Hannah become lovers but are discovered by Diedrich.

To repay her for betraying him, Diedrich arranges Adam’s capture and implicates Althea, causing Hannah and her friends to turn away from her. Years later, Hannah has moved to Paris and is setting up an exhibition against Nazi oppression. Her closest relationship is with her childhood friend, Otto, who is becoming increasingly unstable in his hatred of the Nazis. She learns that Deveraux has appeared in Paris, living in luxury under the care of her Nazi hosts, and Hannah realizes she is the one who betrayed Adam. Hannah confronts her and learns that Deveraux gave up Adam’s location to secure the trust of the Nazi party so that she could continue to spy on them; however, she only knew where he was to begin with because Otto sold her information on his plans. Hannah breaks off her friendship with Otto and leaves Paris, traveling to America.

In 1944, Viv begins planning a high-profile event to shame Senator Taft into withdrawing his censorship of the ASEs. She invites a mysterious librarian who guards a library celebrating books that were destroyed in the Berlin book fires and plans to invite the reclusive author, Althea James. She also enlists the help of her first love Hale, who is the half-brother of her deceased husband. Viv travels to Althea’s hometown of Owl’s Head and manages to convince her to join her cause. At the event, the librarian, who turns out to be Hannah, gives a rousing speech about the fall of the intellectual Germany she grew up in. Althea also speaks about her time in Berlin.

The event gains widespread support and the censorship amendment is overturned. Althea and Hannah reconnect, and Viv and Hale agree to give their relationship a try. Many years later, the three elderly women travel to Berlin along with Viv and Hale’s daughter to see a memorial that has been erected to acknowledge the Berlin book burnings.