In Troy, Georgia's town square stands a statue of Augustus Wainwright, a Confederate Army general who owned a large plantation on the town's outskirts. Some of the residents take pride in the statue while others recognize that it is a shameful symbol of hatred and oppression that should be removed. Lula Dean, a lonely and misguided widow whose children have moved out, seeks attention and is using the controversy of banned books to give her life some purpose. She compiles a list of books she believes should be banned from the community and sets up a lending library in front of her home to distribute books she considers appropriate. Beverly Underwood, the head of the school board, is outraged by the backing Lula receives from a small but vocal group of townspeople. Beverly's daughter Lindsay secretly replaces all the books in Lula's library, concealing the titles of the banned books with the dust jackets of the original books. As people begin reading these banned books, which tackle topics such as racism, sexual identity, and antisemitism, they experience a positive impact. Ultimately, Beverly goes head-to-head with Lula in an effort to combat her outdated and hateful messages.
While the issues in Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books are very serious, author Kirsten Miller tackles them with satire and humor. This engaging book features numerous characters and subplots, demonstrating the transformative impact of books. The heroes are the younger members of the community who won't tolerate prejudice and intolerance. And books, which are such precious treasures.
Rated 4.25 out of 5 stars.
Adult Fiction | Books About Books.
Publication Date: June 18, 2024.
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