Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books

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Synopsis

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.

Synopses source: Goodreads

What pattern is that?
Pictured with the book in this post is the Marigold Boho Coaster (petals variation), which you can find here!

Review

Genre(s): Contemporary Fiction, Books About Books, Satire/Humor
HB&W Rating: 4.5 stars
View on Goodreads
Buy on Barnes & Noble, Amazon

I flew through this book. It captured my attention with the very first line and I knew I was going to love it. Especially the cake scene with Wilma Jean.

This is a satire and covers a lot of topics and probably won’t be for everyone, but I think it does a great job encapsulating the issues addressed. It’s a satire, so if things feel a little on the nose, it’s on purpose. I loved the representation in the book across race, age, gender, and sexuality. The structure took a little getting used to, using multiple POVs and didn’t often repeat but linked the story together so seamlessly. I felt that the author did a wonderful job giving each character their own voice and arc considering the brevity of their shares of the story.

What kept me from going a full 5 stars was that I felt like the beginning of the book was stronger than the end. That said, I’m still happy with how everything wrapped up.

Please beware of sensitive topics and sometimes crude language and scenes.

Until next time,

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