Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books

by Kirsten Miller

“The Nazis were monsters to kill little girls.” “I know that’s what people say,” Mr. Stempel told her. “But most of them weren’t. 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,

When you have everything, the only luxury left is taking things away from others.

How do you improve yourself without challenging your mind? How do you leave a better world for your children?

As far as he was concerned, if your faith was shaken by foul words or sex scenes, then you must not have had very much to begin with.

There is no need to make magic. There is magic all around us. We need only to recognize it and make use of what is already there.

“Yeah, well, don’t give her too much credit. She didn’t invent it. Using fear to control people is about as old as time.”

Gather as much knowledge as you can, because information is power. And choosing how to use it is freedom. The more you know, the freer you will be.”

“Once Jesus arrived on the scene, all those Old Testament laws no longer applied. The New Testament tells us we’re supposed to follow Christ, not the old ways. And as far as I know, Jesus never said a damn thing about gay folks or barbecue. But he sure did talk a lot about love.”

They had to do whatever it took to keep future generations from living lives more fulfilling than their own.

“Y’all want to know how to tell if you’ve been a good parent?” Moxie asked the crowd. “It’s real easy. If you have a family that loves each other and children who want to spend time with you, then you’ve been a good parent.”