Author: Kirsten Miller

Genre: Humor & Satire/General Fiction

Publication Date: June 18, 2024 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books is a satire set in Georgia. It is the story of a Southern town that is politically and ideologically divided. Lula Dean is a woman on a mission to get the books she finds deplorable banned. She is soon leading the Concerned Parents Committee, made up of herself and other members of the community that don’t mind making their divisive views known. The CPC pulls all of the books they find to be undesirable from the library and school bookshelves. Lula puts a Little Library of the books she believes should be available to the town in her front yard. Meanwhile, a smaller, less vocal contingent starts to fight back by giving people the chance to experience the books the CPC has decided they should not be reading.

Many people in the town have their minds changed in positive ways by the books they find in the new and improved Little Library. Not everyone is convinced or swayed by the changes that start happening to and around the people in the town, but many good conversations take place between families and neighbors throughout the story. Some are funny, some are heartwarming, some are sad or frustrating, but all are important in their own ways.

The stories of many of the townspeople’s experiences with the books they borrow are interwoven throughout the pages, which lends a cohesiveness to the narrative that makes it even more interesting and poignant. I cannot say enough good things about this book. It deals with racism, white nationalist beliefs, homophobia, anti-Semitism, ageism and a host of other issues (including, of course, the banning of books) in an incredibly thought provoking way. This is a book that we should make sure all of the states, towns, schools, and libraries that try to ban books receive a copy of, because who needs to hear the message about the importance of providing access to all types of literature more than the people trying to deny that very access to others?

If the idea of banning books bothers you, you’ll also want to pick up a copy of Kirsten Miller’s book as a reminder of why we must continue the fight against the practice. This may be a work of fiction, but the truths it shows us are all too real, and happening right now all around us. Books can’t save themselves; they need readers to do the work for them to remain on the shelves where they belong.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Kirsten Miller for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.