Kirsten Miller’s novel is a brilliant and engaging work that powerfully examines the negative impacts of book banning. Through a clever satirical story, Miller tackles many important and timely issues.

The narrative centers on Lula Dean, who sets up a small free library in her yard with books she considers ideal for everyone. However, someone secretly replaces the book jackets with those of banned books. As the person behind the book banning and a mayoral candidate, Lula is furious when she finds out. The small town of Troy, Georgia, with its mix of liberal and conservative families, becomes a battleground for the fight between censorship and freedom.

One by one, the banned books are shown to make a difference in people's lives, with various chapters devoted to how these characters are changed. Ultimately, the principles of choice and acceptance triumph.

This book is a true gem. It is relevant, imaginative, and profoundly hones and I absolutely loved it.

In 1984, Kevin Bacon plays a teenager named Ren who moves from the big city of Chicago to a dinky little town only to discover dancing is banned there. At one point, Kevin Bacon becomes so frustrated with strict rules and small minds he rage dances it out all by himself in an empty warehouse - iconic.

His rebellious ways infect the teens around him - they just want to dance! So the teens, led by Kevin Bacon, mount a campaign asking the town, led by a local minister played by John Lithgow, to allow them a senior prom. Not only will the town not allow senior prom they double down on their bullshit and begin burning the town's library books!

When John Lithgow sees this he realizes things have really gotten out of hand. He disperses the book burners and asks the town to pray for the kids who have been forced to host their prom over the county line (not for fear dancing will cause their eternal souls to burn in hell or anything, more supportive like, but too little to late John Lithgow.) And glitter confetti rains down from the sky as the kids have their barn prom, dancing the night away to the title track: Footloose.

Footloose is inspired by true events and has many important lessons for us: fascism is bad, it's important to be involved in local politics, and when the mob starts burning books shit has gone too far.

Lula Dean has clearly never seen Footloose.

In a small southern town in the throes of culture war Lula Dean is the head of the Concerned Parents Committee, a group of parents "protecting children" by clearing shelves of any books they personally define as inappropriate. Lula Dean, in an effort to expose the townspeople to quality literature, erects a Little Free Library in her front yard stocked with classics such as The Southern Belle's Guide to Etiquette, Buffy Halliday Goes to Europe!, and Our Confederate Heroes. But one young townsperson fights back (they probably have seen Footloose!) by inserting copies of the banned books into the dust jackets of Lula Dean's library. As the books are borrowed and read the town is challenged and changed in unexpected ways.

Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books follows a cast of characters around town whose stories all connect. It's a cautionary tale hoping to instill a feeling of understanding and interconnectedness, a reminder to stand against fear mongering and censorship, resisting those who exploit these tools for power, and of course a respect for the magic of books (hot tip: never, not once, are book banners on the right side of history.) I found this very readable and unfortunately relevant if a little too heavy handed for my personal preference.

I enjoyed this fast paced, sweet book about a town in GA caught up in a book banning tirade. All thrown together, the over-the-top characters seem a bit too much. But take each separately, and you have actual people from around the country who are players in these all-too-real events. The author takes a serious topic and pokes fun at the nonsense created by those instrumental in book challenges and outright bans. There were parts of the book that were laugh-out-loud funny, but you know deep down it's not really funny at all. Even though the book was on the lighter side, it's definitely political enough to keep those who would benefit the most from reading it, from ever picking it up.

I was very excited to read an ARC of this (thanks William Morrow and Netgalley!) because I adored The Change - and I’m happy to report this lived up to the hype that I built up! Here are five things I loved about this five star read:

1) Oh my god the CHARACTERS. I was worried at first there might be too many to keep track of, but all are so singular and personalized and precious that it was easy to remember who was who.

2) Much like in The Change, I love how Miller wrapped social commentary within a quirky story. This book had some powerful messages while making me cackle at the same time (I mean, all women are witches after all!)

3) Miller’s voice is so unique - it’s conversational while still being literary. Whether because they were hilarious or because they were deeply profound, so many lines jumped out at me.

4) The balance of all the different POVs was expertly done. I was very impressed with Miller’s story crafting ability.

5) It was just a nice book. Sure, it dealt with some heavy topics and there were a few dark moments, but I felt cozy reading it and the end brought me a lot of joy.

Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books is out today!

This book takes on a lot of current issues in the world today. Written in a lighthearted way, you learn about a whole cast of characters in this small southern town. Some we like, some we don't. Kirsten Miller gives us an insight into what is going on in the minds of people who want to ban books and why some think it is the right thing to do. She sheds light on how important it is to think critically about information the news is telling us and how easily minds can be manipulated. She also tackles southern pride, confederacy, and marriage power dynamics. I couldn't have loved it more. Its a love letter to libraries and book lovers, and I cant wait to let everyone know to read it when it comes out!

Anyone who's ever lived in a small town knows a Lula Dean. They're always in the middle of everything. They always know what's best for everyone.

With Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books, Kirsten Miller deftly tackles big issues with humor and consideration. One day we're pulling books off the shelves. The next, we're pulling down statues. Despite all her efforts otherwise, Lula Dean's little library was exactly what the town needed. Eyes were opened, hearts were softened, and connections were made.

I loved so many of the townspeople in Troy. Wilma was a firecracker! Bella was a force to be reckoned with, and you can't help but love Isaac and Elijah. For a book that will make you both think and cackle out loud, add Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books to your tbr today!

Read this if you like:
•  Southern fiction/small town fiction
•  Books about books
•  Books that will make you laugh

Fantastic story!

All about banning books, the uptight people who think they have to right to take books from other people to the people who read them. Excellent story that wraps itself around a town and exposes those who are lurking in the shadows doing nefarious things.

I really enjoyed this. It read like real life and was a little disconcerting but still enjoyable.

Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller
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In the little town of Troy, Georgia, one woman’s crusade to ban books that she finds objectionable leads to a prank, several bits of truth being unearthed, distrust, discovering new family ties, and even love.
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Wow, Kirsten wrote another banger of a story. I read The Change when it first came out and was absolutely blown away by how much that book entertained me. So I had some high hopes for Lula Dean.

The book features a full cast of characters from the town of Troy, and each chapter focuses on different characters and includes parts of their backstory. But every chapter just adds more to the complete story of this town. I loved every minute of it.

It involves a little free library (as the title indicates) and how each person who chooses a book from library is helped in some way. Books about books, people!

My favorite character had to be 85 year old Wilma who is a defense lawyer and doesn’t have the energy for most of her family treating her like she’s lost her marbles. She sure shows them. 😂

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was definitely an entertaining book. If you love books about books and how they can impact people then you would enjoy Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books.

When a high school rivalry spirals into an all-out war in Troy, Georgia, its libraries are caught in the middle.

Local crank Lula Dean and school board member Beverly Underwood have never seen eye to eye. Lula's family used to be a big deal in Troy, but ever since her family business closed, Lula has been struggling to become relevant again. She finally finds the attention she craves after she goes after books she deems inappropriate (but has never read, of course) and has them removed from the library, while supplying clean titles in her own little library in front of her home.

But when someone swaps the books in Lula's library with the titles she's banned, these powerful books send the town on a course to reckon with its history, values, and what it wants its future to look like.

Lula Dean's Little Librarty of Banned Books is a fast-paced, timely story and a perfect roast of the culture wars currently targeting libraries and other public institutions. There were times where it got a bit too didactic--presumably people who are reading it agree with its premise/message, and the ending kind of fizzled instead of going out with a bang. Even still, I highly recommend this fun ode to the power of literature and I hope it falls into the hands of someone who needs it when they need it most.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I had read and loved The Change by this author so instantly knew I wanted to read Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books.

I had a blast reading this one! The story takes place in the small southern town of Troy, Georgia where creepy Lula Dean and her cronies are working hard to remove books from the library which have been banned at some point (she’s working from a list).

Her adversary is Beverly, who is doing what she can to keep those books safe from being burned.

Lula Dean puts a little library of books she finds acceptable and wholesome on her porch and the hilarity ensues as someone changes out each book with one of the banned books, but leaving Lula Dean’s dust jackets on.

This is a book about books, and it made me want to go pick up every book mentioned that was ever considered banned and read them or reread in many cases.

*Thanks so much to William Morrow and NetGalley for the eGalley!*

A small Georgia town becomes a national spectacle after Lula Dean leads a book banning charge in the community. She also sets up a little library of books she thinks are acceptable and morally correct, but when someone hides banned books in the originals' dust jackets, it starts off a series of events that will change the town forever.

This is a ridiculously accurate portrayal of the current political and social climate, and how misinformation, fear, and long-held biases turn into hate and twist people and their actions into unrecognizable caricatures of themselves. It deals with racism, classism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, xenophobia, the list goes on and on.

This is told with each chapter in a different character's perspective, usually just after they have picked up a book out of Lula Dean's library. At first, when each character is acting pretty much independently, they were easy to differentiate. However, after the plot starts to come together and the characters start to show up in others' chapters, it started to get a bit difficult to remember who was who and which storyline they were a part of.

Also, while I love that justice is served at the end and people legitimately change their ways, it probably wasn't realistic. This is what we want to happen, but it isn't usually what we get. I guess we can hope for better.

Book lovers must read! This is just an appropriate book for the times we are in. I love Kristen Miller and her storytelling style.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.

Though it probably won’t shake things up the way that the books in Lula’s library did, Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books is a wickedly entertaining summer read—but also a surprisingly inspiring story about a town that read some books that moved them to change up the status quo.

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery.

My good lord, every single person should read this book right now. What a clever and beautiful and relatable way to make any human who picks up this book feel seen. I am fully blown away by the ingenuity and sheer genius that Kirsten Miller put into the construction of this book. Instant top ten favorite of mine.

"Someone in Troy, Georgia has smuggled a story about the dark legacy of slavery into Lula Dean's pretty purple library. Maybe some folks in town were supervillains in disguise. But somewhere out there, at least one person was fighting for good."

The premise of this book immediately had me hooked - a battle over book banning in a small town and a late night switch of "approved" books for banned books in a little library impacts the trajectory of many lives across town and leads to a reckoning with their collective past. I love everything about it. Miller handles serious topics - book banning, anti-Semitism, rape, racism, etc... - with great thoughtfulness and still brings in charm and humor.

My one criticism was that things seemed to be tied up to cleanly and change came too quickly to feel realistic. However, I took the time to read the acknowledgements and appreciated this, "The fact that I grew up being told the truth did not make me superior to those children. It made me luckier." This softened my criticism of the ending a bit, because it made me view it more as a hope for what the South she loves could be than a take on how change actually happens.

Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow for the eARC! Happy Pub Day!

As a lover of books, I loved this book. Kirsten Miller has written an ode to the power of books to open minds and hearts, to teach and inform, and to rescue and heal. LULA DEAN'S LITTLE LIBRARY OF BANNED BOOKS is a cleverly written, timely expose on the dangers of small minded people trying to force their will on others and the importance of standing up to bullies wherever and whenever we find them.

Set in small town Troy, Georgia, traditional southern hospitality is a slim veneer covering ugly thoughts and uglier intentions. At the center of the story is Lula Dean who heads a group trying to remove books from the local school and library. Some of her supporters have more treacherous goals - modern day Nazis who want to return Troy to a past rooted in racism and hatred. One of Lula's ploys includes installing a small free library in front of her home featuring titles she deems appropriate, such as crocheting and genteel southern manners. Her plan backfires when a resident replaces Lula's chosen books with books that had been removed from the library; books addressing slavery, feminism, sexuality, and other topics Lula and her group consider to be "woke" and, thus, inappropriate. One by one the books are discovered by town residents and bring to light the truth about their local hero and the town he founded.

Ms. Miller uses several techniques that made this an outstanding read for me:
- The story is told through the points of view of a number of different townspeople, each with a perspective integral to the plot.
- Each chapter references a different banned book and challenges the assumptions that the books are harmful.
- The tone of the book is lighthearted while the subject matter is anything but. The humor keeps the tone gentle rather than preachy.
- Each of the characters and chapters is intertwined with the others illustrating the interconnectedness of community.

Having enjoyed her earlier novel, The Change, this was a highly anticipated release for me and it exceeded my expectations. If you believe in the magic and power of books to transform, you'll want to grab a copy of this well paced book.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

In the first chapter the author draws you with her beautiful writing, the way she sets the scene it makes you want to get know the characters and the town. It’s commentary on on the book bans and how we wish people would take the time to listen to the marginalized communities that these book bans affect.

I LOVED this one!! It's told in a. narrative style that seems pretty popular lately-each chapter is told by a different character in the small southern town of Troy, Georgia. It's got some heavy themes-prejudices, racism, homophobia-but she tells it through characters you love (or hate), and some of it is silly, but most of it is funny. I saw it described as a satire, and I can see that. I think it will be a HIT this summer!

One of my favorite reads of the year so far! This is an amazing read for anyone and everyone who loves reading and appreciates both the impact and limits of freedom of expression in our society today. Unfortunately, the people who really need to read this book probably won’t—unless we can sneak it into a real life “little library.”

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The little town of Troy, Georgia faces a big shakeup that all starts with a woman thirsty for attention and admiration starting a movement to ban books and take the town back to "better times."
Lula Dean leads the charge in removing books like "The Diary of Anne Frank" from school and library shelves, but leaves the sexy romance novels she reads in place. She's on a crusade, with a growing number of followers, to shift back to the old days where Blacks knew their place, there was no such thing as being gay, Christianity ruled society, and the Confederates were widely celebrated. To move the process along, Lula sets up a little free library filled with titles including "The Southern Belle's Guide to Etiquette" and "The Art of the Deal."
Beverly Underwood, a pillar of the community, is horrified and makes efforts to push back against Lula's movement but it's too strong to stop. When the mayor steps down in disgrace, Beverly and Lula face off to take his place. In the meantime, a large and unusual collection of people are borrowing from Lula's library. Someone has put different books under all the dust jackets, mostly those books that Lula and her group banned from the libraries. The tension between the people wanting to turn Troy into a "God-fearing town" and those who espouse honesty and freedom, Troy is in for a lot of changes.
This is a wonderful book that depicts the details of southern small town living in the modern age with considerable accuracy. The characters are many, and Ms Miller still develops them to 3 dimensions through various chapters from different angles. I highly recommend this book!