Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books tells the story of what happens in the small town of Troy, Georgia when Lula Dean takes a stand against "controversial" books and puts a little free library in her front yard filled with books she deems appropriate. Little does she (or the town know) that one night, two residents take it upon themselves to switch the books with banned books with the "appropriate" dust jackets on to cover them.

This reads like a series of connected short stories as we learn how different books from the little library impact citizens of Troy. Troy has a reckoning coming as the politics of book banning and conservative ideals butt up against more moderate and liberal view points, and of course as hearts and minds are changed by reading outside of their own personal experiences.

I really enjoyed this book, although I did at times feel overwhelmed by the long character list and similar names like Beverly and Betsy. I thought the ending was a little too saccharine, and this book was like stepping into an echo chamber for my personal beliefs. Sometimes it's nice to be in that echo chamber, but it makes me wonder if this book will find its way into the hands of those that really need it. Or will it only appeal to people who already oppose book bans?

I was looking forward to this one, as I enjoyed The Change. Sadly, though, even though I am a big proponent of No Book Bans, this one just dragged for me. There was a large cast of characters and although I liked many of them at times, it just didn't cohesively fit together for me.
I did enjoy the small-town vibe, and I'm glad the book was set in the South—it added a unique flavor to the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an eARC of this novel!

After finishing Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books, I had to sit a while before putting a review together. This was almost a DNF for me. The subject matter drew me into the book, but the large number of intermingling story lines are what almost did me in. I stuck it out though, and am glad that I did. The underlying themes in the series of stories are very timely in our current cultural environment. The intermingling of stories is very typical of small town life and I think that the author captured that well througout the book. I love the twist toward the end that not only brought the town together, but provided a good conclusion to all of the story lines presented throughout the book.
There may be some trigger warnings for those who are sensitive to homosexual or racial related conversations. Nothing graphic is in the book, but ideas are presented when describing some of the banned books.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book in return for my honest opinion.

Books shape this story set in a town of book-banners, but not always in ways you would expect. The story is told through the perspective of many towns people, through the lens of various books & their impact on each person. Each chapter brings to light serious topics & hateful people but also hilarious circumstances and warm loving people. It is equally disturbing and heartwarming. I adored the way books shaped each person’s story. The characters were flawed, unique but often wonderful. The terrible characters all got their dues & the ending was a great payoff. It was sometimes hard to follow at first but stick with it and you’ll be glad.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

I was so excited to get this one. And it is good.

In a time where book bans are real, Lula Dean does a great job of reminding us of the power of books.

Miller tackles several hot button issues like book banning, racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, and homophobia, all critical to the story being told. There is language, uncomfortable conversations, and characters who realize the err in their ways and thinking.

My only complaint - there were a lot of characters to keep straight and I kept having to refer to my notes.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars, rounded up.

I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher, William Morrow, in exchange for an honest review.

Oh This book! i loved this book!

With the way the world is today this book fits perfectly. Its funny that the world feels fit to tell people what they need to read and are people that do not even read so this fits perfectly.

Books take you to another world and this book is written very well and i am so glad i got the opportunity to read this.

Great read and everyone should read this book.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

Oh my gosh, this book was everything I wanted and more.

Lula Dean is leading the charge of banning books in her small town and decides to start a Free Little Library and fills it with “wholesome” books.

One resident decides to prank Lula by switching out the books with the banned books.

The story takes off from there.

I loved all the characters. They were so rich, entertaining and lovable.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance review copy of this book. It’s a very thoughtful and thought-provoking story. Lula Dean is mad at the blows dealt to her perfect life in her small Southern town of Troy, Georgia. Her husband dies then her twins desert her. She turns her focus to taking on the unwelcome social change she sees happening. When a pornographic book is discovered in the “Cooking” section of the local library, she sets out to ban books and establishes the Concerned Parents Committee. To offer an alternative, Lula builds a small free library in front of her house—Lula’s Little Library. As a prank, local Lindsay Underwood replaces all of the Lula's books with “banned books” covered in Lula’s dust jackets. The banned books have a profound impact on the folks who borrow them as they deal with the issues of white nationalism, anti-semitism, women, and LGBTQ.

It’s an amusing premise and serves to move the story along with great humor. When Lula decides to take her crusade further, she takes on her long-time nemesis, Beverly Underwood, in a run for mayor, pitting the town residents against one another. Lindsay’s prank caused a chain reaction. “The books she’d put in that library had opened eyes, granted courage, and exposed terrible crimes.” There is so much to enjoy about this book. It’s simultaneously maddening and heart-warming and definitely worth the read.

Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books, by Kirstin Miller checks off all the boxes for a book written in 2024. Lula Dean wants a cause to give her life meaning and when banning books to protect children becomes popular, she joins in. She also follows the trend of little libraries and puts one in front of her house with “proper books.” But the prankster daughter of her chief rival takes those books and replaces them with the banned books removed from the local public library, there are unforeseen consequences. The banned books are disguised in the dust covers of the original books. The first several chapters felt like short stories about local townspeople and the effect of reading the banned books they chose. There are other current cultural issues, like racism, LGBTQ+, poverty, civil war ancestors, etc., all combined to make a great story with interesting characters and how a small southern town ultimately addresses these themes. I highly recommend this book for all ages!

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to receive this b ook for an honest review.

For such a serious topic of things going on today with banning books I found the book funny with the cast of characters.
I enjoyed this book all around and it has bme re thinking the world of banned books.

I live in the American south. In my town, books with LGBTQ themes are being removed from the children and teen section of the library. In mine and surrounding counties people are harassing librarians and calling in bomb threats to queer spaces. So this book hit very close to home.

You might read the book and think the author exaggerates. Surely anti-gay activists and misogynists and white nationalists aren’t working together to ban books! But everything that the author describes has happened in the US in recent years. Maybe not all in the same small town, but still. It’s real.

The characters in this book were very memorable. I loved their interactions with each other. There was quite a large cast. And yes, they felt like stereotypes at times. But again. They’re all based on real people. I appreciated how the author took the time to dig into the backstories of both the heroes and the villains to help us understand why they were acting how they acted.

My favorite thing about the book was how hopeful it was. Living where I do, it’s easy to get discouraged and feel like nothing will ever change. But the book encouraged me to keep hoping. And to work to change the minds and hearts of good people. Maybe the future the book describes is possible!

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher @williammorrowbooks for my review copy.

This may honestly be my favorite book so far in 2024. It was so relevant to things that are going on in the world today. People who can’t even be bothered to know what they’re talking about want to decide what everyone else should be reading. And how a little education and magically the right books finding their way into the hands of those that need them most at just the right time can change the world.

Banning books was all the rage a little while ago. Very trendy and ‘woke’ (or anti-woke, it’s hard to keep these things straight, no pun intended) those who were decreeing what a person could and could not read claimed. That doesn’t get quite as much attention lately, though. Now the trendy thing is to ban book bans. And personally, I am fully behind that.

Because honestly, the people saying what we can and can’t read would be the first people to rise up if someone said “you have to read this!” (and literally no one is forcing them, or their kids, to read the books they’re banning).

In any case, book bans and the movement to stop them are the central plot and theme to Kirsten Miller’s novel, Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books.

To add a few more details, Lula Dean likes to read dinosaur erotica but she’s also got some issues with her social standing in the little town of Troy, Georgia so, after an erotic cookbook is found in a library, she jumps on the book banning bandwagon to make herself feel just a little more important. And she is fully behind the idea of books like Gender Queer and Beloved being absolutely inappropriate for any and all, though it’s pretty clear she hasn’t read them. Lula never sees the hypocrisy of her crusade until she’s figuratively tied down and made to look. And then she runs away.

The message of the book, that of the idea that book bans are little more than a means by which one group of people seeks power and control over another, is a good message.

The plot of the book; the battles between Lula’s faction and a motley melting pot of other people, is also good. It does, at times, get a little heavy-handed in delivering the message, and that’s not always as good as it could be. If I’m against the heavy-handed, tunnel vision means by which book bans are fought for and put in place, I don’t really want to be strong-armed into thinking the other way either. If you’re giving me credit for being smart enough to choose what to read and what not to read, give me credit for being smart enough to figure it all out.

And Miller, for all the benefits of her message, is borderline at times.

That being said, I do give Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books four stars because that motley melting pot of characters are so unique, so relatable, and so interesting to read about as they fight for the cause they know is just. And, in the end, there’s always something compulsively readable about the ‘ripped from the headlines’ sorts of stories.

— publication date for Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books is June 18, 2024

***I received a copy of Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books through NetGalley and William Morrow in exchange for an honest and original review.***

So, this book had so much potential, but in the end, it felt like a "serious topic" chick lit book vs. an insightful novel with social commentary on the real impact book banning and curriculum challenges are having on our kids and communities. Some of the characters were right out of central casting and a bit stereotypical. It was fine, but not a book I am going to run out and tell everyone to read. It did, however, reinforce my love of little free libraries. So there's that. Three-and-a half stars.

Lula Dean was a little gem of a book.

Set in the sleepy town of Troy, Georgia, Lula is on a mission with the Concerned Parents Committee (CPC) to remove all books unsuitable for the town's teens. She starts a Little Free Library with wholesome books only, but a mystery person secretly replaces all the books with banned ones, but keeps the original book jackets. The town is suddenly buzzing as folks read the unapproved books and changes start to happen in the town.

There are a lot of characters in this book, but the way their stories come together and impact one another is perfect. This book is infuriating and impactful, annoying and absolutely delightful. The people of Troy are charming and zany, and Miller paints such an important and clear picture of the negative effects of book banning. It's a little outlandish, but I found this to be very heartwarming (especially the ending). Miller's writing is quite polarizing, so some readers might not enjoy the writing style, but this book is worth reading for so many reasons. I'll think about this one often.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy! I can't wait to get a copy of this one on 6/18!

This novel follows a small Georgia town, the surprising books that changed its trajectory and the ways in which a community can atone for and heal from its checkered past. This books is full of fantastic characters that feel real. The ending does wrap up maybe a little too nicely but as one character in the book mentions; maybe in this day and age, a story that ends happily is what we need. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

ula Dean is unhappy and resentful of others in Troy (GA) where she grew up. She and Beverly Underwood have a history going back to high school so when she has a chance she strikes. The chance comes over books she considers inappropriate in the school and public libraries. To show off what she considers appropriate books, she opens a little free library outside her house. But then someone slips the banned books into her library by switching book covers and mayhem slowly ensues. Old wounds come to light, the dark underbelly of the town and its history are slowly revealed as townsfolk interact with the books. The author manages to use the titles of books along with a diverse cast of characters to create an interesting mosaic of a story that kept the reader's attention. Plus, the list of chapter titles provides the reader a list of books they might try reading for themselves. A very good weekend read!

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this title!

I loved loved this book. How delightful the tables were turned on Lula Dean when she thought to influence the good people of Troy, her hometown. Lula Dean began a campaign to rid the town's library and the school's library of books she felt were harming our youth and putting bad ideas in to their heads. Hence she wanted to gather up all these "banned books" and have a town book burning. But the head of the school board held her off and confiscated them to review the decision for later and thus store them for safe keeping in her basement. Lula, trying to be important, wanted to show what books were read by good upstanding citizens who love their country and the good old way of life by opening up her own personal lending library filled with books she personally picked out. Picked out of the trash bins at the thrift store from the next town over that is. Instead, a forward thinking youth, who happened to be the daughter of that School Board president, thought to take those banned books and switch them out in Lula Dean's library, unbeknownst to everyone in town. As a prank. But then people started borrowing the books, to the delight of Lula, and things began happening in town such as never seen before. People found their voices, and changes were in the works. This story is so timely and takes a delightful but truthful spin on what is happening today, the banning of books that people have never read but they feel they have the right to force others not to every read them. While this book shows the humor of the situation, it also points out the seriousness and sadness of those who are ignorant and afraid, wanting to take away people's choice in what they read. This is a must read and would lend itself to a great discussion. I highly recommend it. Many thanks to #netgalley #kirstenmiller #luladean'slittlelibraryofbannedbooks #williammorrow for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.
The description of this book may make it seem very lighthearted and charming, but be aware this is a challenging masterpiece of a book. It is lighthearted and charming and funny, but it also deals with horrible topics such as anti-Jewish actions and beliefs, racism toward many groups, homophobia, infidelity, suicide, and sexual assault. There are literal neo-Nazis and folks dealing with a lot of issues in the book and sections from different perspectives.
At its heart, this book is about community and the power of books to heal. Books are under a lot of attack in the US right now and this book is very much in tune with the conversations around book bans and the different opinions about the topic. While set in Georgia, and aware of the particular issues that Southern areas face in terms of history, this topic is relevant and playing out across the US, which the author does acknowledge and reflect.
The book is meant to have a funny and uplifting tone when it can and it does succeed. There are sections that made me laugh out loud. And while sections were illuminating and insightful, they did not feel preachy or heavy-handed to me. Just as books within the book slowly encourage different perspectives, this book shows ideas without blowing down a door, in my opinion.
The characters are Southern and richly developed in just a few pages. I loved the different relationships and the ways that connections were teased out or created between the characters.
I read this in one day, in basically one sitting, because it is really good. It is challenging and funny and amazing and definitely relevant to a lot of what’s going on right on in the US.

Lula Dean is a social climbing ding dong on her best day, and one of those terrible people we all know that peaked in high school (and if you don’t know someone like that, its you, sorry). She goes on a mission to scrub the school of any literature that is educational for young kids (think Florida vibes) and through a string of unfortunate events, ends up running for mayor against her high school nemesis.

I feel like this one is cute and an easy read but definitely more of a library check out book than pre-order and go get. The character list was like 1000 characters long at times, which meant that we really didn’t get to KNOW any of them and the whole plot twist in the middle could have been so much more powerful if the back story and character development was just a little more robust. I think we need books like this to remind people that all reading is good reading, but this one wasn’t it for me.