Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books captivated me. I can’t remember the last time I was so absorbed by a book. It’s an homage to the power of books, the importance of libraries, and speaking up. And amidst a dismal landscape of book bans, this brought me joy. Keep reading this book review of Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books for my full thoughts.
Summary
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.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books is unfortunately incredibly relevant. As someone who just had to explain to my friend visiting why the book banning has become so dangerous and prevalent in the US, Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books is timely. But we don’t want it to be. It’s a story which stands up for and celebrates the power of books. For books to help us give us courage, a needing respite, information that is denied to us.
When we can be radicalized by the ones we trust. Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books celebrates the power of books. It’s why people want to ban and remove them. They’re afraid. But it’s about knowing that there’s a book out there we all need to read. It’s too easy to want to run from these beliefs, to think that we can’t make a difference. The right book can make a ripple. It can impact our world, the community, the people around us. It can tell our story, to show a view of the world we aren’t told or shown.
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Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books is a hopeful book. It’s about using the reason people seek to censor the books for good. For resistance, speaking out, and making change. At the same time, the plot of Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books is impossible not to fall into. There’s of course the plot of the library and the themes. But at the same time, it’s also centered around this small town. About the secrets that can’t stay buried, that need to come out.
Find Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.