I'll preface this review by saying this novel doesn't pull any punches, and if you have a particular set of beliefs or opinions, it's probably not the book for you. Or may it is the book for you, but you won't feel comfortable reading it.
The small town of Troy, Georgia is steeped in Southern tradition and the kind of place where manners are everything and you can still be annoyed by your high school nemesis thirty years after cheerleader camp. People are long on memory and short on minding their own business. Especially when it comes to books.
Lula Dean is a busybody, nosy, orange-haired person who likes to stick herself into things that aren't her business. A kid's prank of putting a naughty cake cookbook in the public library starts the flames of book banning, with Lula Dean leading the way. In short order she's organized a citizen's group, pulled hundreds of books out of the public and school libraries, and has set up a little library outside her home that only has "appropriate" books she has curated for the townsfolk. Books that have a slant towards racism, whiteness, and putting women in their place.
Someone decides to swap out those books with books that were pulled from the public library--keeping the covers from Lula's books, but swapping out the books. So it appears that her books are in the little library, but people who decide to take one get a big surprise when they start reading. But that big surprise sets in motion so many life changing events for some of the townspeople that it's clear change is afoot and boy, is it coming fast!
Of course Lula has no idea what's happened to her little book library, which kept me snickering through the story. I loved getting to know the people of Troy. Some of their stories were funny, others were troublesome, but all of them were changed for the better by a book they read-a book that was banned.
It's an all out war in little Troy, GA as national news arrives, marriages crumble, friendships are strained, and beliefs long held dear are tested. Kirsten Miller's writing is biting, funny, witty, and also very pointed.
I loved this novel. We must protect books, authors, librarians, booksellers, and anyone who advocates for those who are seen as "less than". I know this is fiction, but oh, wouldn't it be wonderful if this battle played out with a happy ending in our real lives.
Rating: 6/6 for a novel that addresses all the things that are happening in our country--all the dark, weird, misinformed things. Loved the characters, the humor, the points made, and the evolution of some of the characters from ignorant to informed.
Available on June 18th in hardcover, ebook, and audio.
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