An Important Message

"History is full of unintended consequences."

In a small southern town, a woman leads the cause of a concerned parents' group to ban books from schools and local libraries to protect children from unwholesome beliefs. She then builds a free little library promoting books with values that align with their "wholesome" beliefs. Unexpectedly, someone switches out the approved books with the banned ones, causing readers and townspeople to reassess their lives and understanding of their truths.

The novel's structure plays a significant role, as each chapter is titled based on a banned book or the title of a "wholesome" book. The character at the center of the chapter reads a book that changes their lives in ways they could have never imagined. For instance, a wife realizes that her husband is a Nazi sympathizer, a brother tries to understand the belief that a book turned his brother gay, and a woman concludes that her marriage is over, and so on.

The cast of characters is quite large and eccentric, especially the title character herself.

Around the halfway point, the structure changes as we revisit some characters from the earlier chapters to see how their lives have changed since reading a banned book.

This novel isn't without flaws: the structure gets repetitive, parts are preachy, and the ending goes off the rails; however, I am willing to overlook these aspects because of the impactful message.

The tone is serious, but there is also a lot of fun and humor woven in to lighten it up. Through the banned books, themes of racism, gender roles, sexuality, antisemitism, and others are explored. In essence, this novel serves as a powerful commentary on the dangers of banning books.

"Gather as much knowledge as you can, because information is power. And choosing how to use it is freedom."

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and William Morrow in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

“They were just ordinary people. That’s what makes them so terrifying. Monsters you can fight. But when the people who come for you in the night are your neighbors and coworkers and classmates…when you never know who’s sick and who’s not…” he shrugged. “Hate is a disease, Dawn.”

“When you have everything, the only luxury left is taking things away from others.”

“And as far as I know, Jesus never said a damn thing about gay folks or barbecue. But he sure did talk a lot about love.”

Lula Dean has a new fight in town. She needs to get rid of all these inappropriate books that are ruining the lives of the children in town. Beverlys daughter however, sees what she is doing and fills the library with the banned books, wrapped in the dust jackets of the books Lula deems “appropriate.” Suddenly the people in town are opening their eyes to a different way of life. One with less racism, homophobia, and sexism. When it comes down to Lula and Beverly fighting for the position of Mayor, who will prevail?

Oh man this book was just perfectly quotable! Seriously, I had to stop myself because instagram will only allow so many characters! I loved every second of this book! I was infuriated by Lula, and several other characters to be honest, but I just loved the way the “secret” books got passed around and how they changed the people in town. I also really enjoyed that almost each chapter was a different persons story, but they all wove together throughout. There is really nothing else to say except that you need to read this book!

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What starts out as a nasty feud between two grown women who haven't liked each other leads to book banning, divorces, Neo-Nazis, and a whole lot of mess in Georgia.

Lula has hated Beverly since high school, so when she sees her chance to be seen as the protector and savior of children in a small town by challenging and then pulling any questionable book in any library in town, leaving Beverly, the head of the school board, to fight her. Lula then sets up a little free library in her front yard. Lindsay, Beverly's daughter, thinks that it is a hilarious idea to swap the "approved" books in the LFL with banned books, switching covers so no one is the wiser until they start to read them.

Different chapters show what happens to different people when they read a banned book that changes their way of thinking. Good book, a little heavy-handed at times, but enjoyable.

This book was super cute. It did start out a little slow and I was worried that the chapters did not flow very well. But by the 6th or 7th chapter it did all start to flow together. It tells about what happens when racism and bigotry get in the way of kindness. It is a really quick and great read

𝚊𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐.𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚟𝚎.𝚎𝚗𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐.𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚘𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎

This novel delivered on every expectation I had, and then some! Miller transports us to a small Southern town in Georgia, and introduces us to a richly diverse cast of characters. The story tackles several politically charged and human rights issues that have dominated recent discourse.

We witness a group of progressive youngsters take the reins in combating Lula Dean and her goal of banning books she doesn't agree with. Miller masterfully uses these characters and themes to illustrate a hopeful vision: a world that is united because of, and despite, the differences of the individuals that make up the society.

The narrative highlights the human tendency to resist change, clinging to familiar comforts and privileges. Yet, through the eyes of Troy's citizens, Miller reveals the ease with which we can create positive transformations.

While all the characters resonated with complexity and depth, Wilma emerged as my absolute favorite. Her spirit bears a striking resemblance to Aunt Ada in Sara Goodman-Confino's "Don't Forget to Write." In fact, I would love to see more of Wilma and the other residents of Troy – a testament to Miller's captivating story-telling and character development.

I want to thank Kirsten Miller and William Morrow for the advanced reader copy of Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books. The opinions expressed are my own. This book is scheduled to be released on June 18th. Pre-orders are available now!

This
Book
Is
SOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOD.

In the town of Troy, Georgia, Lula Dean has decided that all books that are harmful to children and may cause them to stray from the path of righteousness (deemed by God- and Lula) should be removed from school and community libraries. As an upstanding citizen (insert thick sarcasm) Lula puts a lending library on her property to share the books that “have made her who she is”. Little does Lula know that one of Troy’s own has swapped the jackets and the town’s folk are taking home those banned books. They’re being read, discussed, embraced, understood and are changing people’s lives.

This satirical comedy will hook you from page one. At Wilma’s 85th birthday party you’ll laugh hysterically. You’ll worry about the safety of the characters fighting for minority representation and rights. You’ll fall in love with characters and you’ll despise others. The multiple POV style is woven with such skill. As @kirstenmillerbooks untangles the web that connects the people of this small town, she gifts all the insight, explanation, and detail.

This book represents what books are meant to do- how stories bring us together, allow us to share in each other’s existence, learn, grow, be challenged, find ourselves, and even find one another.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

@netgalley and @williammorrowbooks thank you so much for the gift of this #advancedreaderscopy - pub date is 6/18/24 and can’t wait to buy my copy!

A light, overly simplified story about a small Southern town coming to terms with it's past. It's an amusing read, where everyone learns a lesson and becomes better people. If only it was so easy!

Were all the situations a little to pat? Yes. Was it a little too light for such a serious topic? Yes. Was it a bit unrealistic and predictable? Yes.
BUT, did I love it? You bet! I afraid all the wrong people will read this book, but even then it will give them more ideas of how certain books are so crucial for the right people.

I was so curious about Kirsten Miller’s new book Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books, The Change I thoroughly enjoyed so I was quick to request her latest!

I didn’t even read the synopsis and just dove right in… what I quickly gathered is that each chapter is a short vignette of a resident in a small southern town… lots to keep up with but I was really impressed by the flow of the whole book… if I had no responsibility I would have read this in a day!

If you love books… are a supporter of sharing knowledge and experiences through literature, love a book with depth and topics that are hard to achieve with humor and hope. This is the book for you!

Thank you William Morrow
Releases 6/18

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I really enjoyed this book - I finished it in a day! It dealt with a current topic (book banning and the "reasons" behind it) in a clever way, showing the challenges, interactions and history of a small town by having its residents unexpectedly find and read banned books.

When I read the blurb for this book I was all in. A small southern town turned upside down because of a tiny library was right up my alley. As I kept reading I felt that there were borderline too many characters. For the first half of the book it read more like short stories. Some of the topics discussed made it feel a bit dated too, but sadly books are still being banned in 2024. In the author’s note it says that someone else gave her the idea for this book so maybe that’s why it felt a bit forced to me. I enjoyed the author’s previous book and plan to still read her future books.

Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC!

I was a huge fan of The Change and was SO excited to get this ARC approval! Lula Dean’s was such an excellent book. This story is extremely timely considering the last few years and the push for social change in our country.

This book had unforgettable characters, multiple POVs with a connecting story arc, and a really amazing story threaded throughout. I highly recommend this one!

Thank you again for the ARC!

This book had way too many characters to keep up with. Although it was a funny satire with lots of humorous parts, the plot was just blah for me. I tend to not usually like politics in my books, and this had a lot. It really highlighted how divided our country is and left me depressed.

✂️ P L O T L I N E
Beverly and Lula have been rivals for years on end. They both live in the small town of Troy Georgia where they have found themselves running against each other in the race for mayor. Lula Dean is on a mission to get rid of every “inappropriate” book and has opened her own little free library full of books that she’s sure will feed the town people’s minds with a healthy dose of truth. Little does Lula know that someone has replaced all of her books with the banned books from the library. Once people start to get their hands on these books everything starts to change in this little town of theirs.

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
I absolutely loved the book “The Change” by Kirsten Miller so I knew I had to pick this one up! Both these books have very different storylines and are so unique in their own way, but they both have amazing strong female leads and discuss important topics. I know books that include politics can always be hit or miss for many people, but I really feel like this is such an important book to read especially with all of the controversy that currently surrounds book banning. The story is written in A way that explored both sides of the coin and parts of it are hard to read because it shows how divided our nation really is. I felt that parts of the story were a little repetitive and there are a lot of characters to keep track of. But overall the book was a really enjoyable and reflective read. It leaves you feeling hopeful and gives you lots of laughs in between the emotional parts. This book will make for an excellent book club pick!

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
📖Books about books
😝Humor and satire
💭Thought provoking
🥺Powerful and emotional
💡Self discovery
🌎Exploration of Social issues
🔀Intertwined characters
📍Small southern town vibes

📚𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾📚
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💕Q U O T E: “𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓂𝒶𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝒾𝓈 𝓃𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓁𝑒𝓉𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓅𝑒𝑜𝓅𝓁𝑒 𝓉𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀. 𝒟𝑜𝓃'𝓉 𝓁𝑒𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓋𝒾𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓎 𝒾𝓈 𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒶𝓃𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓌𝒶𝓎 𝓌𝓇𝑜𝓃𝑔. 𝒢𝒶𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝓈 𝓂𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌𝓁𝑒𝒹𝑔𝑒 𝒶𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝒶𝓃, 𝒷𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝒾𝓃𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓂𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝒾𝓈 𝓅𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓇. 𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝒸𝒽𝑜𝑜𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝓉𝑜 𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝑒𝒹𝑜𝓂.”

🙏 Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow Books, and Kirsten Miller for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. 💕

I really enjoyed Kirsten Miller’s novel “The Change” and so I was excited to be given an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher.

I loved the characters, setting, and the message of the transformative power of books. It was charming and funny and I loved it. The only complaint I have is that it got a little preachy at certain points to drive home messages of acceptance, feminism, antiracism, and anti-censorship. In my opinion it was over the top since those of us who will read and enjoy the book don’t need to be convinced. That said, I highly recommend this quirky book.

Things are heating up in Troy Georgia, where Lulu Dean is on a crusade to ban every book that she deems inappropriate, but hasn’t actually read, and to replace these books Lulu starts her own little library. But when a local trouble maker takes the dust jackets off Lulu’s books and puts them on classic, gay romances, Judy Blume, Black history, and others like this and puts the altered books back into Lulu’s little library, that is where the fun starts.
Oh my gosh where to start. I think we have all spent time if not lived in a town similar to Troy, and Lulu would probably be called a Karen, but when people come together and stand up to those people they have no choice but to back down. Taking away everyone’s right to read a book is not for one or even a group of people to enforce. If you don’t like them don’t read them. But the way this story plays out is just awesome and there were parts, ahem the Judge Ladies birthday, that had me laughing out loud when I was alone in the room. But the best is the power the citizens find in those books left in the little library. This is a great, funny book it is one you do not want to miss.

When I started this book, I expected a cute little southern cheerleaders twenty-years-later story where they were still fighting the old high school disagreements. How wrong could I have been! There is a bit of the former cheerleaders story, as some of them are now the civic leaders and community members.

In the small southern town of Troy, Georgia, Lula Dean was not a cheerleader - not because she didn't want to be but because she was not chosen by the squad. Now she is the local busybody, gossip, and malcontent. As a way to succeed in her community she focuses on those nasty books filling up the shelves of the libraries in town and she sets about, with her Concerned Citizens committee, to remove those books. She also creates a little free library on her lawn. One night, a prankster (daughter of former cheerleader and the present-day school board president) removes the dust jackets from the "wholesome" books (purchased at the neighboring town's thrift shop), replacing those books with banned books covered with wholesome dust jackets. As people start to use the little library, they are in for an education. Minds are starting to wake up and it soon makes a difference in that community. Other books start to appear on the shelves. People can now read about the Holocaust, Nazis, African-Americans, civil rights, rights of individuals, gays, the list goes on.

Each chapter is a book title and we hear from members of the community. The mayor resigns in the midst of a scandal and Lula Dean and school board president, Beverly Underwood, are now both running for mayor. Who will win and which direction will this town decide to go?

The book is funny, serious, thought-provoking, raunchy. You may be laughing one minute at the absurdity of it, and downright serious the next, given what is at stake. If you agree that "those who seek to ban books are never on the right side of history" this book is for you.

3.75 stars, rounding to 4 :) I really enjoyed this book. I don’t know how Kristen Miller managed to cover so many heavy topics without weighing down the overall cadence of the story (I don’t know if that made any sense - it’s hard to describe) It was like the overall subject of book banning was the web. Then, other subjects ( racism, misogyny, antisemitism ) all got caught up in the book banning web ……and all the storylines connected everything together. *I am certain I am making this more complicated than it needs to be.
Basically, it’s a great book. I liked the way it put real feelings into a story that made me understand the points of view of people outside my bubble. I think that is extremely important for a white middle class suburban female like myself. Thank you to NetGalley for the early release of this book.

A timely story on the power of books and family and what happens when you try to take all of that way. Follow along as this small George town comes to grips with racism, scandals, homophobia and political drama. This is a powerful and timely look at book banning and how the right story can save a life.