Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books

by Kirsten Miller · 2025

Cover of Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books

Beverly Underwood and her arch enemy, Lula Dean, live in the tiny town of Troy, Georgia, where they were born and raised. Now Beverly is on the school board, and Lula has become a local celebrity by embarking on a mission of censorship to rid the public libraries of all inappropriate books—none of which she’s actually read. To replace the “pornographic” books she’s challenged at the local public library, Lula starts her own lending library in front of her home: a cute wooden hutch with glass doors and neat rows of the worthy literature that she’s sure the town’s readers need. What Lula doesn’t know is that a local troublemaker has stolen her wholesome books, removed their dust jackets, and restocked Lula’s library with banned books: literary classics, gay romances, Black history, witchy spell books, Judy Blume novels, and more. In this unforgettable work of women's fiction, neighbors who borrow books from Lula Dean’s library find their lives changed in unexpected ways. Finally, one of Lula Dean’s enemies discovers the library and decides to turn the tables on her, just as Lula and Beverly are running against each other to replace the town’s disgraced mayor. That’s when all the townspeople who’ve been borrowing from Lula’s library begin to reveal themselves. That's when the showdown that’s been brewing between Beverly and Lula will roil the whole town...and change it forever.

Rating: 4.00/5 from 1 ratings · Genres: Contemporary, Literary Fiction

Reviews

Carrie Reichelt — 4/5

I listened to this as an audiobook. I apparently had a completely different idea of what to expect! But this was really good! Set in a small town in Georgia, it initially seems like an ideal, peaceful town. But after Lula Dean's Little Library appears and someone switches out the books with the town's "Concerned Parents Club" banned book list, all sorts of crazy stuff happens and secrets become not-so-secret! It touches on a lot of tough subjects (racism, anti-Semitism, s*xual assault...and more) and some people in town are finally standing up for their beliefs...or facing their intolerances. No spice. Some language. No graphic on-page s*xual assault (discussed but not really graphic). OH and the narrator, January LaVoy, was excellent!