Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books
Ratings12
Average rating4.2
15
Ratings12
Average rating4.2
The provocative and hilarious summer read that will have book lovers cheering and everyone talking! Kirsten Miller, author of "The Change", brings us a bracing, wildly entertaining satire about a small Southern town, a pitched battle over banned books, and a little lending library that changes everything.
Beverly Underwood and her arch enemy, Lula Dean, live in the tiny town of Troy, Georgia, where they were born and raised. Now Beverly is on the school board, and Lula has become a local celebrity by embarking on mission to rid the public libraries of all inappropriate books—none of which she’s actually read. To replace the “pornographic” books she’s challenged at the local public library, Lula starts her own lending library in front of her home: a cute wooden hutch with glass doors and neat rows of the worthy literature that she’s sure the town’s readers need.
But Beverly’s daughter Lindsay sneaks in by night and secretly fills Lula Dean’s little free library with banned books wrapped in “wholesome” dust jackets. The Girl’s Guide to the Revolution is wrapped in the cover of The Southern Belle’s Guide to Etiquette. A jacket that belongs to Our Confederate Heroes ends up on Beloved. One by one, neighbors who borrow books from Lula Dean’s library find their lives changed in unexpected ways. Finally, one of Lula Dean’s enemies discovers the library and decides to turn the tables on her, just as Lula and Beverly are running against each other to replace the town’s disgraced mayor.
That’s when all the townspeople who’ve been borrowing from Lula’s library begin to reveal themselves. It’s a diverse and surprising bunch—including the local postman, the prom queen, housewives, a farmer, and the former DA—all of whom have been changed by what they’ve read. When Lindsay is forced to own up to what she’s done, the showdown that’s been brewing between Beverly and Lula will roil the whole town...and change it forever.
Reviews with the most likes.
4.5/5 stars
This outrageous satire of a small southern town in Georgia is an homage to books and the freedom to read. Given the uptick in book banning across the country I am hopeful, that once again, the power of words - in a book - will create moments of conversation and help to change minds and hearts.
Lighthearted, clever book about a serious subject. Among the (t00) many residents of Troy, Alabama, the few that really resonated with me weren't the easily identifiable villains or heroes. Instead, I gravitated towards the few characters who struggled with the issue, trying to reconcile their conservative and religious backgrounds with their dawning realization that ignorance and hate pose more of a threat to their children than [b:Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. 59365703 Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. Judy Blume https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1675288783l/59365703.SX50.jpg 4121]. True fact: The suburban St. Louis school district in which I live (serving 17,000+ students) is currently considering measures that prohibit classroom discussions on gender identity, and allow any district resident to call for bans on particular books and classroom materials. So on the one hand, I appreciate a novel in which a small town's citizens band together to defeat censorship. But I am living the real thing and I'm afraid that the situation is only going to get worse. Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books triggered me as much as it comforted me.
This story was not quite what I expected, but I still liked it. The bouncing around in chapters and with characters was a bit confusing at times, but I eventually figured it all out. The topic of banning books is currently a hot topic and I liked the way the author approached this issue within this small town.
“Being pretty's overrated.”
“Is that right?” The way Mrs. Wright said it made Nahla wonder if she'd passed some kind of test. “Then what would you rather be?”
“A force to be reckoned with.” I liked Nahla, wish there was more of her in the story.
