From the Bookshelf of La Crescent Public Library…

[close] Our library book club read this book for our October selection. It was very fitting with Banned Books Week at the start of the month.

Structurally, some folks did struggle with the multiple timelines being so close together and distinguishing the three female characters from one another, however, they all appreciated the different perspectives the characters had and how they impacted the story.

The biggest interest from the book was in its real history on the Armed Services Editions (ASEs) and how they made paperbacks popular in the U.S. While many readers were familiar with book burnings and the censorship that occurred in Germany at the time, none of us knew about the ASEs initiative and how those books were chosen.

We found a lot of similarities between politics then and now, and what's currently happening in our country with book challenges and book bans on the rise. It opened a great discussion to talk about different topics, how public libraries operate, what trends in challenges or policy changes are coming up, as well as the impact readers felt reading titles that are on the banned/challenged list.

Overall, folks really enjoyed this book as it made them think, find parallels, and learn facts from history we didn't know about. A great book club suggestion!