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,

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