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Susan Orlean
History & Commentary
Susan Orlean is an American journalist and nonfiction author whose books include The Orchid Thief and The Library Book.
Biography
Susan Orlean is an American journalist, television writer, and bestselling author born on October 31, 1955. She has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1992. Her magazine contributions also include articles for Vogue, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Outside.
Orlean's nonfiction books include The Orchid Thief, published in 1998, and The Library Book. The Orchid Thief was adapted into the 2002 film Adaptation, in which Meryl Streep portrayed Orlean. The Library Book combines an account of suspected arson at the Los Angeles Central Library with the library's history and Orlean's personal memories of libraries. In 2021, she joined the writing team of HBO's comedy series How To with John Wilson.
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Books by Susan Orlean
The Library Book
The Library Book alternates between a true-crime account of suspected arson in the 1986 Los Angeles Central Library fire and a broader history of the library. It also explores Orlean's devotion to libraries, including fond memories she shared with her mother.