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Blockbusters or bust - can spectacle save a dying library?
In 1980s New York City, the once-prestigious Hunt-Lenning Library is on life support, ravaged by budget cuts and public indifference. The last hope? A ragtag team of five misfits from museum backgrounds tasked with launching spectacular exhibitions to coax crowds—and cash—through the door. Unwelcomed by library staff, branded “The Big Bad Blockbusters,” their exhibitions range from the Dead Sea Scrolls to Frankenstein, the Statue of Liberty to Rogue magazine models. With little more than dark humor, stubborn grit, a shared sense of purpose, and a belief in the power of storytelling, they weather professional rivalries, disastrous openings, public scandals, and quiet triumphs. Over time, their oddball team becomes an unlikely family, sharing love, loss, betrayal, and redemption—all while mirroring the seismic shifts in New York’s cultural and economic landscape. The Big Bad Blockbusters pulls back the curtain on the drama, heartbreak, absurdity, and occasional magic behind the exhibitions that saved a library—and changed lives.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Lou Storey tells stories—with words, with doodles, and always with heart. Lou worked for twenty-five years as an Exhibition Designer, twelve of those years at The New York Public Library. This book is based on exactly that. The Big Bad Blockbusters is his first novel, rooted in his love for the art of storytelling and for the many big-hearted and dedicated people at the library who inspired him.
Praise for The Big Bad Blockbusters:
“In The Big Bad Blockbusters, Lou Storey has captured the zeitgeist of the 1980’s New York cultural scene, still reeling from the financial crisis of the previous decade. With delicious turns of phrase, an insider’s perspective, and humor that ranges from wry to gallows, Storey skewers the egos, internal machinations, and warring agendas behind the scenes at one of the city’s beloved but beleaguered institutions.” ~ Mimi Bowling, Charles J. Liebman Curator of Manuscripts (Retired), The New York Public Library
“Blockbusters, Odor Opportunities, and the Five Stages of Grief: it’s all here in this wonderful novel. Storey’s story is the almost-true narrative of an exhibition designer doing his very best, often in the face of the worst. Hilarious and touching by turns, the book is chock full of wisdom, especially about education, museums, therapy, teamwork, and other things meant to improve the world. Commit it to heart, then give it to a friend.” ~ Glenn Adamson, American curator, historian, and author of A Century of Tomorrows
“Behind the grand doors of the New York Public Library’s Gottesman Hall, where visitors pass in awe of history’s greatest treasures, a hidden world hums with pressure, passion, and impossible deadlines. In this riveting first-person fictional account, Lou Storey—the real-life designer behind the Library’s most celebrated blockbuster exhibitions—pulls back the curtain on the triumphs and tensions of creating cultural landmarks.
"Beginning with '500 Years of Conflict' called in the book, 'Forbidden Books' that was drawn directly from the Library’s own holdings, Storey chronicles the rise of a small, determined team entrusted with telling humanity’s greatest stories. From the Statue of Liberty to the Dead Sea Scrolls, these exhibitions didn’t simply appear—they were fought for, argued over, reimagined, and built through sleepless nights and bold creative risks. Told with honesty and exhilaration through the eyes of his compelling characters and fascination histories, Storey makes the extraordinary look effortless.” ~ Sara Cedar Milller, Central Park Conservancy Historian Emerita, and author of Before Central Park
“Lou Storey conjures plot, characters and images that mirror the meticulous creation of a blockbuster museum exhibit. The Big Bad Blockbusters lays out a world most people know little about—how an exhibition comes to life—with a curtain being lifted on the personalities and relationships that impact the final product experienced by the public. A great read!” ~ Lori Heninger, Poet, Artist, Nonprofit executive and author of Words for Women
“Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the red ropes and secret gallery doors in America's museums? Lou Storey's tale will give you a glimpse. At once a fictionalized memoire and a museum industry exposé, this volume follows Gordon Katten, exhibition designer, through the twists and turns of the museum business, where seasoned professionals and their internecine jealousies, meddling self-aggrandizing donors and greedy marketing executives pick over the cherished remains of American culture. It's a good read.” ~ Ellen Denker, museum consultant and author of Treasures of State: Fine and Decorative Arts in the US Department of State