Book Recommendation – Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books

It has been a while since a book has run me through the entire gamut of emotions. I just finished one that had me laughing out loud one minute and angry as hell then next. The book will make you feel “pity, horror, righteousness, relief, joy” and more. Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books was a fantastic read with a wide range of characters. It tackles some strong subject matters and “taboo” issues, yet is entertaining and enlightening.

One reader’s review said that the book, “takes an important, heavy, timely topic and makes it highly entertaining and extremely relatable while never sacrificing deep meaning, contemplation, and human empathy.” I think that really sums it up nicely.

Here is the Goodreads 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.

There is a line in the book that really stood out to me. Actually, there are many, but this was the first one that hit the nail on the head. “When you have everything, the only luxury left is taking things from others.”

This is a book that I felt had a little bit of something from everyone. It also hits on things that are timely today. As I listened to the audio book, I found myself seeing just how many of the things discussed in the story were relatable to what is happening in our world today.

I will say one last thing. The ending is a bit cheesy, but it certainly doesn’t take away from the story. I actually liked the way everything wrapped up. I would recommend it to anyone who asked me what I thought of it. As a matter of fact, I’ve already reached out to many of my reader friends and suggested it.

Five out of five stars