Book Review: Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

Rating: 4 stars of 5

Some of the quotes I loved from this novel include:

• “Somewhere out there, you have an ancestor who made the world better. Whoever they are, decide to take after them.”

• “Learn everything you can and do your best to lead the way forward.”

• “Listen – why are you letting a bunch of old Greek men tell you what a hero ought to be? They’ll have you thinking you got to go to war and kill people to prove yourself. Women have always known better than that. Most of us get what we want without slaughtering anyone.”

• “The fact that I grew up being told the truth did not make me superior to those children. It made me luckier. Some of the people I admire most today are those who did not share my privilege. Denied the truth, they were forced to educate themselves. Think of the determination that took. Consider the time. How on earth did they manage to do it? The answer is simple: books. Even now in the digital age, the written word remains the bedrock of all learning. Books and the libraries that house them are among our most precious resources. As we all know, these days, they are both under threat.”

This was such a good read. I waffled between rating it a 4, 4.5, or 5. In some ways, it was a 5-star book for me, and in others, it was a 4-star read. I ended up settling on 4 because parts of it felt rushed and underdeveloped, but I suppose that is to be expected with this narrative style and so many characters. There were enough of them that at times, I had to go back and reread sections to remember who they were. As readers, we’re seeing the town through the lens of a Little Free Library and the people who check out books through it.

Overall, this book had a lot to say, and it said it well. There are some sections that might be triggering for different readers, so I would recommend looking up trigger warnings before reading if you think that might be helpful for you.

Pet note: Rose is not a top note. Lily generally isn’t either, but I’ll give her that one since occasionally, someone in the fragrance industry claims it is.

Content advisory: strong language, misogyny / abuse culture / incel culture, gun violence, su*cide

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