This is far and away my favorite book I've read this year! A busybody in a small town achieves her long desired public recognition by leading a book banning drive and putting "good" books in a free-standing library in front of her house. Unbeknownst to her, the books are swapped out under their covers with the very books she banned and the community reads through the collection. The author traces the impact of their reading, using banned book titles for her chapter headings. She cleverly exposes our biases, prejudices, presumptions and blind spots on all sorts of topics on both sides of the spectrum. The story reinforced for me how books can affect our thinking and make us question our viewpoints and beliefs. She subtly reminds us that thinking you know someone can't be based on knowing what they read, even when that person is ourselves. Her cast of characters are real people living real lives in a complex world. The epilogue includes a list of the banned books referenced in the story. Highly recommended.
Quote:
"Melody felt like the butt of a very bad joke. The victim of a dark conspiracy. An innocent bystander caught up in a terrible crime. And for the very first time,she understood what her mother had been trying to tell her. Giving a marriage everything you've got means one day you could be left with nothing."
Published: 2024 Read: August 2024 Genre: Fiction
