Frank Rich discussed his new book, The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth from 9/11 to Katrina , at the Free Library on September 26, at 8:00 p.m. He took a few moments to chat with the Free Library Blog.

1. What role have libraries played in your life?

“Enormous. As a child, the local branch library was where I could freely follow new passions wherever they took me for hours on end. As an adult, research libraries have sometimes been second homes as I have pursued book projects.”
 

“Depends how you define 'childhood,' but early on, E.B. White's Charlotte's Web. By the time I was about ten years old, Moss Hart's memoir Act One would come along and change my life.”

“Shakespeare: Midsummer Night's Dream; Dickens: David Copperfield; Twain: Huckleberry Finn.
 

“Any job involved with words--whether in a school, the theater, a library, or publishing.”