This was a GREAT book!! It is a book that everyone needs to read! There were so many great lessons that people learned.

Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley! Honestly this book, from page one, took me on a completely different journey that I imagined but I was sold as soon as it starts in that town square. I feel like a lot of books now focus on “controversial” topics but this felt so seamless and had just a great redemption arc. I loved the characters. I would read more from this author.

I really enjoyed this book. I laughed out load and tsked and rolled my eyes and cheered. This was a fun diversion, a great premise, and a fun ending. I’m not sure my book club would appreciate the humor, but then if someone is attending my book club, they are strong library supporters. They might quibble about the rest of the topics presented. I can see people loving or hating this one, but it was right up my alley. I would recommend it! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this fun ride!
4 solid stars

What a great read! I could hardly put it down once I started reading. I loved the flow of the story and the characters were amazing as well. I will definitely recommend this to my patrons at the library.

A cute little tale to upend that manages to provoke and upend everything in a tiny rural town. Lula lives in Troy, Georgia and has made it her mission to ban books that are inappropriate. It does not matter if she has read them, they are wrong! They are pornographic!

To supplement her mission of removing all the nasty books in the libraries and schools, Lula creates a little library outside of her home. Unbeknownst to her, the books in the little library are replaced with banned books. Then town starts borrowing them, conversations kick up and all heck breaks loose!

A fun testament to the not so fun beliefs and powers of the alt-right movement. Join Lula's town for a day- a great conversation starter for you at work, book club and your library
#williammorrow #luladeanslittlelibraryofbannedbooks #kristienmiller

In Troy, Georgia Lula Dean’s mission is to rid schools and libraries of all books she deems inappropriate. Erecting a little free library she fills it with titles she thinks everyone should read instead. But someone has beat her at her own game changing the books out, leaving the cover and substituting a wide variety of banned books. The novel is a series of vignettes about how the replaced books have changed their readers lives. Timely, and while lightly written still serious at the same time showing how hate can be banished and all types of books can better your life, when not restricted. I loved this book and hope all take the time to read it.

"How can you come to know what's right when all the information you're ever given is wrong?"⁣
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This quote is actually from the author's note but I find that it sums up the book so well. The fact that I typically only read that overview first paragraph of summaries (because full summaries give away too much) made this one quite the surprise for me. I thought it was going to be light-hearted and an easy read -- boy was I wrong.⁣
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Summary⁣
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.⁣
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This book offered me a side I don't typically see -- the southern Red state perspective. It was equal parts terrifying but also hopeful to see so many who are in opposition to things like book bans. ⁣
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Miller shines a light where a light needs to be shined. There are people who turn on the TV to a certain type of channel and listen to the fear mongering and the truth manipulation and they believe every word of it. ⁣
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Nonfiction has taken the lead on five star reads for me (I read a lot of them) so it is worth noting that Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books has received my highest fiction rating OF THE YEAR, at 4.5 stars. ⁣
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If this isn't already on your list, I highly recommend putting it there. Thank you to @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for this copy in exchange for my honest review. Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books is out June 18, 2024!⁣
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Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow books! WOW! I loved this book. But of course, I loved Kirsten Miller’s The Change so I am not surprised. This book may end up being one of my favorite books of the year. Very on topic! Lula Dean has just wanted friends and attention all her life, she just may have gone about things all wrong, every time. Beverly Underwood has become her rival. In their small Southern town in Georgia, a war has been waged and Lula Dean and Beverly have taken sides. Lula Dean wants to ban all books with anything she deems inappropriate and has set up little library on her lawn with books she purchased that she thinks ARE good. Little does Lula Dean know, Beverly’s daughter has switched out all those books for ones on the “banned” list and let the knowledge and hilarity spread!!! Amazing what happens when people LEARN more about their neighbors! Just makes you really think what could happen if more people read books about things and people unlike themselves and knowledge, compassion, and kindness spread. Would give this book more stars ⭐️if I could!

DNF - tried to read this one a couple of times and just couldn't get into the story. Might be because I am 60? the language and actions seemed a bit youngish to me. Sorry, not for me.

Such a timely read. Following a cast of characters in a small town in Georgia, readers see the dangers of restricting information via book banning. I loved the activism, the carefully selected titles, and the ways that books changed people’s lives. At times I found the message to be heavy handed and a little cringe but that didn’t distract me from really liking the book overall. Recommended!

Lula Dean's Little LIbrary of Banned Books
by Kirsten Miller
Pub Date: June 18, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
The book tells the story about how banned books first divide the residents over LGBTQ and race issues and the town’s history and how some townsfolk hate others.
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.
5 stars

This book is wonderful! Kirsten Miller created a masterpiece in which she showed how book banning serves only to foster hatred and racism, and being on the right side of history can breed equality and kindness.

When Lula Dean erected a small free library in her yard filled with what she deemed to be perfect books for all, someone came along and switched the book jackets with banned books. Since Lula was in charge of the book banning, and also running for Mayor, she wasn’t happy at all to find out what had happened. The tiny town of Troy, Georgia seems to have a varied population of liberal and conservative families, but being on the side of choice and acceptance is what prevails.

This is a gem of a book and merits 5 stars. It is relevant, it is creative and it echoes truth. I absolutely loved it. Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy.

Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books is a clever and imaginative novel about the fictional small town of Troy, Georgia.

The book tells the story about how banned books first divide the residents over LGBTQ and race issues and the town’s history and how some townsfolk hate others.

Later that changes and townspeople learn to love each and the town’s history and how that happens is an amazing, incredible and well written tale that you’re definitely going to want to read!

I thought this was an interesting and fun and at times heartwarming read about the importance of books in our communities! I thought some of the characters were a bit reductive, but I really loved a lot of the characters and storylines!

This was a snarky yet thought-provoking story about the consequences of banning books. LULA DEAN'S LITTLE LIBRARY OF BANNED BOOKS has some outlandish scenes that felt a bit over the top, but when viewed as a satire in response to the banning of books it feels appropriate. As a Little Free Library Steward myself I appreciated getting a glimpse into the lives of the people in the community who borrowed the books. Each chapter seemed to have a specific topic/message that the readers could learn from. At times the book felt a bit heavy-handed with its messaging but overall it was a unique way to address book banning that will have people talking.
Many thanks to the publisher for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I. Loved. This. Book. Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books is the story of a town and what happens when a concerned citizen-Lula- decides that books need to be banned. The right banned books find their way into the right hands at the right time, and we get to see just how impactful books can be- but also what books can't and don't do.

There were multiple times while reading this book that I wanted to cheer out loud for the characters. Kristen Miller tackles many timely topics, including book banning, homophobia, racism, violence, cyclical trauma.... the list goes on. But what could have been a very heavy read (and may still be for some depending on life experiences) is balanced by neighbors supporting one another, the good guy prevailing, and penis cakes.

I will acknowledge that on the surface, this book would likely anger certain demographics, but I would argue that it is those demographics who would benefit most from reading Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books.

I am in public education in Florida, home of some of the most banned books, and this book hit home HARD. I just want to buy a ton of copies and put it in all our little libraries around our town. It’s so good, and wonderful, and strong!

As a Little Free Library steward, Kristin Miller's book, "Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books" immediately got my attention. I was smitten by the idea of the community coming together to fight against book banning and the first chapter had me laughing out loud. This book is a liberal revenge fantasy where the young people are here to save us all. Miller paints a world in which a good book in the right hands and a little bit of common sense can shame and tame even the hardest of hearts or most hateful of individuals - or at least save those who suffer from their ignorance and violence.

Honestly though the book got tedious very quickly. As someone who is pretty darn liberal, it was was weird to think about how much this book is going to turn away about half the country almost immediately. Are you very conservative? Big fan of Fox News? You are not going to like this book one bit.

It was interesting to see it described as satire; I would not have categorized it that way with the exception of the first scenario with Wilma Jean Cummings, the 80-year old former attorney general. The topics Miller chooses to tackle through her characters are varied and serious though she does maintain a remarkably light tone in the face of such difficult subjects (topics include: rape, Nazis, racism, homophobia, slavery, suicide...). Some of the situations infuriated me more than others, but by the fifth or sixth scenario I found myself stuck thinking how awful the entire town is. They have chosen to elect and elevate the people they have; they have chosen to keep their secrets. And while a good book can open hearts and minds, it really just seemed to trivialize some of these very serious situations.

Special thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Review posted to Goodreads now & to my blog closer to the book's release date.

this book was remarkable. what started off as a fun and quirky (yet informative) tale regarding the issue of banned books soon became a discussion of various modern social and political dilemmas. this book could have turned very preachy very quickly, but it didn’t. i won’t be surprised when this book is named in the top 10 of 2024.

thanks to netgalley for the chance to read an advance copy!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Receiving an advanced copy was a delightful surprise. I believe both existing fans and newcomers will find it equally enjoyable.