Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussions of violence, suicide, sexual assault, enslavement, physical and emotional abuse, anti-LGBTQ+ bias, and murder.

“Ronnie was absolutely certain that the world would be a much better place if more folks stepped out of the boxes they’d come packed in and opened their minds to the mysteries of the universe.”

This quote uses “boxes” to symbolize societal constraints that restrict individual thought. Ronnie’s hallucinogenic experience likely gives him a mind-expanding sense of consciousness. The call for openness contrasts sharply with Lula’s campaign to restrict knowledge, foregrounding The Information Wars as a central theme in the novel. Lula’s entire book-banning campaign hinges on restricting information and refusing to open her mind to other perspectives.

“He said it’s easier for girls to dress modestly than for boys to behave. And so I told him I wasn’t interested in following rules that make life harder for girls so it can be easier for boys.”

Bella makes this comment after her high school principal explains that revealing female attire makes it impossible for boys to concentrate. As she points out, someone else’s attention deficit is neither her problem nor her responsibility. She uses societal hypocrisy to emphasize this point. Her rejection of these norms demonstrates critical awareness fostered by reading a banned book, The Girl’s Guide to the Revolution. This demonstrates The Transformative Power of Books.

“‘They were just ordinary people. That’s what makes them so terrifying. Monsters you can fight. But when the people who come for you in the night are your neighbors and coworkers and classmates…When you never know who’s sick and who’s not…’ He shrugged.

‘Sick?’

‘Hate is a disease, Dawn.’”

Dawn is having a conversation with her Jewish friend, Mr. Stempel, shortly after her son painted a swastika on his front door. She is also reading Anne Frank’s diary, which leads her to label Nazis as monsters. Stempel’s reply furthers this categorization and uses a metaphor of disease to convey how regular citizens can become infected by hate.