Described as ‘a gripping and deeply moving novel of bravery, friendship, and standing up against book banning’, reading Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books during Libraries Change Lives Week was always going to be interesting. Our copies were a kind donation from the publisher in return for an unbiased review.
So what of the plot? Lula Dean, a resident of Troy, Georgia wants all the (in her view) un-American, disgusting and pornographic books to be banned and removed from the town library. When she achieves her aim through her Concerned Parents Committee, she creates her personal lending library to loan more appropriate books (such as baking, etiquette and crochet) to her fellow residents. What Lula Dean doesn’t know is that someone has swapped the books’ dust jackets and her little library is full of the banned books which are being read by the townsfolk…
So what did we think? To be honest, the group had mixed views – some loved the story, others not so much. Two of the group gave up after the first couple of chapters – although after our discussion, one said they wished they’d continued with it! One reader described the book as ‘an American liberal fairytale’ and we definitely agreed that parts of it could be considered life affirming. Another said that you had to be prepared to suspend your disbelief which we also thought a fair description!
A group member said that they’d found the story like ‘putting all your washing in together – darks, lights, and brights – so everything goes grey’. Others liked the short chapters from different character viewpoints and found it a good way to get different perspectives of the same events. One reader particularly liked how one story triggered another and felt they could believe the events. The use of the library as a way of introducing the stories seemed to work well on the whole. Sometimes we felt that there wasn’t enough clarity or definition between characters, occasionally making it hard to remember who was who. Some felt that the characters were very stereotypical, especially for that particular area of America.
We discussed whether the story overemphasised the power of books, but concluded that it didn’t. Yes, the idea of one person reading a book and completely changing their mind seemed unlikely – Elijah (a favourite of many readers) read a book his family blamed for ‘turning his brother Isaac gay’. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t affect him (he actually described the book as boring). However the submissive wife of a neo-Nazi read Anne Frank’s diary which resulted in her taking her son and leaving her husband (after revealing his Nazi affiliations to the town). Most people enjoyed the relationship between Wilma Jean Cummings and her granddaughter – at the start of the novel, her family are trying to get her into a home, but she fights back with cake (you’ll have to read it) and confidence, influenced by another of the banned books.
The plot of the mayoral race between Beverly and Lula Dean is a division of the town of Troy itself, with battle lines drawn – on one side freedom of speech, on the other, censorship. The several plot twists, and the revelations about the family tree of Augustus Wainwright (subject of the Confederate statue in the town square) were particularly good but again, no spoilers.
Most of the group found the list of banned books surprising and shocking – especially as it included books that several of us had read as school texts, including The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume, Beloved by Toni Morrison, and A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. All of these have actually been banned in some parts of America, with several mentioned in articles on books censorship here in the UK (something which libraries continue to fight).
In fact misinformation was definitely a theme of the novel, ably underlined by a television interview with a couple in the story. The misrepresentation of their views leads them to question if they’ve been accepting biased opinions as fact – something which resonated with several of our group (mentions of certain newspapers influencing family members…)
In summary, Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books showed how books have the potential to change lives, often in unexpected ways. We gave it 7/10
Next month, readers at SWFT have a choice of fiction or non fiction with May All Your Skies Be Blue by Fiona Scarlett or Under a Pink Sky by Esther Ghey
Pick up your choice at the Education Centre Library, but be quick as copies are limited!
GEH colleagues are invited to pick up a copy of the award winning The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. Revisit the Iliad told from the point of view of Patroclus, an epic story of love and war.
Find out more about our reading groups here
Take a look at the blog posts for our previous reads here.