Max Hewlett started at the White Oak Library District in September 2013. He is a Children’s Services Specialist at our Lockport Branch, and he has also worked there as a Circulation Clerk and Shelver, too. Max went to Lewis University, and he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History.

What are your top three favorite books of all time? In no particular order:

• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson is one of the funniest books I’ve read. I was reading it on a plane and people thought I was very rude for laughing out loud so frequently.
• Big Fish by Daniel Wallace is also a very fun but touching book about family relationships.
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss because my grandpa used to read it to me all the time, and the Grinch’s dog is named Max.

Who is your favorite author of all time? Haruki Murakami, I have read almost all of his books. They are always a surreal, amusing, funky trip. I get swept up in it and can’t get out until I finish the book.

What genres can our patrons quiz you about to find the best books to read? I love nonfiction, specifically military history and animals.

What books are on your to be read pile at home? I am currently reading The Elephant’s Girl by Celesta Rimington. I can only do one book at a time, but up next is Pine Island Home by Polly Horvath.

What’s your favorite band? My favorite band is British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, most people are surprised I like to rock so hard.

Do you have any pets? I have three cats!

• Crackers is an orange tabby, he is kind of famous and was a calendar model.
• Penny 2 is a tortoise shell, and she is my favorite because I am her favorite.
• Ghost is our newest cat, he is a grey and white colorpoint shorthair with bright blue eyes. We named him after Jon Snow’s direwolf from Game of Thrones.
• I also have a little black mixed breed dog named Mindy, I am her thunder buddy.

What’s your favorite thing about working at the Library? I love when a patron is looking for a book, and I can help them find it; to me it feels like when you are trying to unlock a door, and you find the right key on your keyring and it just clicks open.

What was your very first job? My first job was working at Donut Den in Joliet. I loved creating my own Frankenstein’s monster donuts with whatever spare ingredients we had laying around.

What’s your favorite food? I am notorious for eating everything and anything at work, but bread makes me the happiest when I’m eating it.

What’s your favorite color? The color of a clear blue sky at midday is my favorite.

What do you like to do in your free time? In my free time I’m usually petting dogs and cats, any animal will do, but I prefer ones with floppy ears.

Who is your personal hero, and why? My personal hero is John Glenn, not only for being an awesome pioneering astronaut but because he and his wife, Annie, were major advocates for people with speech disorders.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? I love sports for the stories and legends they create. I always wanted to be in broadcasting to help set the scene for the exciting drama unfolding.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you travel, and why? I would love to go to Africa on a photo safari and swim with great white sharks off the coast of South Africa. They are my greatest fear, but I’m fascinated by them and love them too!

What is one cool fact about you? I love playing trivia! It’s one of the only things that makes me really competitive, and sports and movies are my strong categories.