A letter from Alma Katsu, author of The Hunger
I grew up in a small town in Massachusetts. My family was very much working class, with no money for luxuries. We had few books in the house, the most prominent being an old set of Encyclopedia Britannica. There were children’s books bought at school through fundraising sales (treasured until the covers fell off) and occasionally, my father, who worked for the post office, would bring home a paperback that some patron had left behind. (My father was not a reader, and some people might not have considered some of the titles suitable for a youngster. But still: books.) Then, books were paper and if you wanted to read, you went to where the books were. To me, the public library was more valuable than a bank vault. It was a small, squat brick building sitting like a tank next to the town hall. I was at the library at least once a week, riding my bike across town to spend the afternoon in the stacks, eventually memorizing the contents of my favorite shelves. No surprise, then, when one of the librarians told me that they had an opening for a page. I was there all the time, anyway; would I like a job? They probably guessed, too, that the money would be appreciated. I don’t remember how old I was—fourteen?—or how many hours a week I was given to work, but I remember loving it. Shelving books. Watering the African violets (a great responsibility). Putting out the day’s newspapers, pulling last month’s magazines. I developed a wicked crush on the first male librarian, a young man right out of college. I eventually left to start as a stringer for the local newspaper, then to write for Boston newspapers. I moved to Washington DC for a career working with the federal government before getting my first novel published at fifty. Most writers will tell that they wouldn’t be the person they are if not for the public library, and I am no exception. I credit my start at the local library for a lot of my success as an adult. Thanks to those wonderful librarians, who were so patient and kind with an awkward young girl, and taught me to always do the best I could, to always want to do a good job. I hope I’ve done a good job for you and your patrons with The Hunger.
The Hunger • 9780735212510 • G.P. Putnam’s Sons • On Sale March 6, 2018