By Kirsten Miller
Kirsten Miller’s Lulu Dean’s Library of Banned Books is a sharp, laugh-out-loud satire built around a deliciously subversive premise: when a self-appointed moral crusader donates a stack of “clean” books to her small town, someone quietly swaps them with banned titles—and the results ripple through the community in unexpected ways. As the stories circulate, the book follows a colorful cast of townspeople whose lives, assumptions, and alliances begin to shift.
I absolutely loved this book and howled with laughter all the way through. Beneath the humor is a fierce defense of intellectual freedom and the quiet power of stories to change people.
The premise is so smart and so timely that I genuinely hope it inspires readers to stand up to their own real-life Lulu Deans. It feels like exactly the right book for 2025. Can’t wait for the movie.
Five stars.