Running the Books by Avi Steinberg

Running the Books by Avi Steinberg

Avi Steinberg is stumped. After defecting from yeshiva to attend Harvard, he has nothing but a senior thesis on Bugs Bunny to show for himself. While his friends and classmates advance in the world, Steinberg remains stuck at a crossroads, his romantic existence as a freelance obituary writer no longer cutting it.
Seeking direction (and dental insurance) Steinberg takes a job running the library counter at a Boston prison. He is quickly drawn into the community of outcasts that forms among his bookshelves an assortment of quirky regulars, including con men, pimps, minor prophets, even ghosts all searching for the perfect book and a connection to the outside world. Steinberg recounts their daily dramas with heartbreak and humor in this one-of-a-kind memoir a piercing exploration of prison culture and an entertaining tale of one young man s earnest attempt to find his place in the world.

Avi Steinberg grew up in Cleveland and Boston after being born in Israel. His writing has appeared in magazines such as the Boston Globe, New York Times Magazine, Salon, and others.