Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books

Our Review

"Aside from the fact that people should be free to read whatever they like, can't you see how fucking stupid this shit makes us look?"

Whenever I see an article of Instagram post about a book being banned it always saddens me. One of the main reasons I love to read is because it expands my view of the world and gives me new perspectives on topics I might not have previously considered. Some of my all time favourite books have been on a list of banned books, many remain on them. This is why I was so excited when I saw the blurb for Lula Dean's Library of Banned Books, and it lived up to every one of my expectations. 

Lula Dean's Library of Banned Books is a love letter to books and reading, but it also repeatedly makes the point that whilst books explore ideas they don't make people do things. A book cannot make someone gay, for example. A book doesn't turn someone into a killer either, prejudice and hate have much more of an influence on whether someone turns to murder than a book ever could. 

The book begins with two people taking books out of Lula Dean's little free library and swapping them for banned books. Lula Dean is a bitter and loney woman who starts her little free library after someone discovers a pornography book hidden among the bakery books in a local library. Lula takes to facebook and all hell breaks lose. 

"What should we do with this filth? Lula asked her followers. Beverly scrolled down through the replies. The most common response appeared to be: Burn it!!!"

Lula Dean's Library of Banned Books follows the lives of a group of people who take a book out of Lula's library and instead of the book they expected they find one of the banned books in the cover of an approved title. The book then goes on to outline the positive impact these banned books have on their lives.

We soon learn that when Lula and her Concerned Parents Comittee pulled books of the shelves in the local and school libraries they were acting based on a list of banned books they found on the internet rather than of their own volition. Likewise, the books Lula replaced them with just happened to be the books she found cheapest in a thrift store. Netherless, the actions of Lula prove divisive in the small town of Troy, Georgia and tensions buid until the explosive conclusion. 

The Little Library of Banned Books outlines the sheer absurbity of the reasons used to justify banning books. There is anger in there but also a lot of humour to balance it out. 

"Recognize this?" Lula called out. "Y'all know who the Lord of the Flies is, don't you? You think it's a coincidence the book's named after the devil? He's been right here in Troy, and he's opened the door to a whole slew of demons. Anarchists and pedophiles and socialised health care. He's the reason your children complain about going to church. He's why your doors have to be locked when you leave the house. Without the Lord of the Flies, kids wouldn't be kidnapped or groomed or given double masectomies."

 

I think my favourite character was Wilma Jean Cummings, an elderly lady who is so fed up of her family scheming to get their inheritance that she has decided to just stop speaking...until she encounters one of the library books...

"It was round the age of her 80th birthday that WIlma Jean Cummings noticed a change. She was still the same, of course. It was everybody else in the family who'd lost their damn mind. They leaned in so close when they spoke to her that she could read their breath like a Chick-Fil-A menu. Then their voices would go soft and sweet as marshmallow fluff, and they'd avoid words with more than one syllable."

The small town of Troy is filled with secrets and the little library is about to blow them all up. Lula Dean's Library of Banned Books is a love letter to the joy of reading and has a host of characters that leave you wanting more. It is also absolutely hilarious. A definite hit!

 

Our Final Rating...

4 Months Ago