Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books

This story was not quite what I expected, but I still liked it. The bouncing around in chapters and with characters was a bit confusing at times, but I eventually figured it all out. The topic of banning books is currently a hot topic and I liked the way the author approached this issue within this small town.

“Being pretty's overrated.”
“Is that right?” The way Mrs. Wright said it made Nahla wonder if she'd passed some kind of test. “Then what would you rather be?”
“A force to be reckoned with.” I liked Nahla, wish there was more of her in the story.

4.5/5 stars
This outrageous satire of a small southern town in Georgia is an homage to books and the freedom to read. Given the uptick in book banning across the country I am hopeful, that once again, the power of words - in a book - will create moments of conversation and help to change minds and hearts.

Lighthearted, clever book about a serious subject. Among the (t00) many residents of Troy, Alabama, the few that really resonated with me weren't the easily identifiable villains or heroes. Instead, I gravitated towards the few characters who struggled with the issue, trying to reconcile their conservative and religious backgrounds with their dawning realization that ignorance and hate pose more of a threat to their children than [b:Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. 59365703 Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. Judy Blume https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1675288783l/59365703.SX50.jpg 4121]. True fact: The suburban St. Louis school district in which I live (serving 17,000+ students) is currently considering measures that prohibit classroom discussions on gender identity, and allow any district resident to call for bans on particular books and classroom materials. So on the one hand, I appreciate a novel in which a small town's citizens band together to defeat censorship. But I am living the real thing and I'm afraid that the situation is only going to get worse. Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books triggered me as much as it comforted me.

Thanks to the publisher and Libro.fm for the alc!

I really enjoyed this story (narrated by the impeccable January Lavoy). I thought it would be too on the nose/close to home for me as a librarian who has been basically living this plot, but I still found it interesting. I liked how certain books found certain people. The chapters felt almost like short stories that wove into a larger plot. I wish people who didn't already agree with the theme and resolution of the book would also pick it up, but that's a bit of a pipe dream. Overall, a very enjoyable listen.

One thing annoyed me. Was I absolutely done with Lula and wanted her poison gone? Yes. Did I think shaming her with the books she liked to read was the way to go about it? Um, no. I did appreciate that it positioned her as the worst kind of hypocrite and called her out for it, but I just couldn't really appreciate the way that scene went down.