A review by strawberrymivvy
Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

challenging funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Wow, this was totally not the lighthearted read I thought it would be.  It was at times deeply challenging and presented a very disturbing (to a non-resident) picture of a small town in the southern US, though with a lot of humorous touches.

Lula Dean is the town busybody who launches a book-banning campaign at the local library.  Her nemesis, Beverly Underwood, is determined to stop her.  Lula wants everyone to know she promotes "the right books" and so creates a little lending library in her front garden - but the books in there are not all that they seem, and the residents of the town, each with their own issues and secrets, finds exactly the book they need, hidden under the cover of the book they wanted.

This book made me at times very angry that in this day and age people continue to hold such outdated views, and very happy that I live in Canada!