BANNERS

Four women square off over the issue of book banning in Kasten’s political satire.

Barb Barbarien (pronounced Barbar-EE-en) is the wife of a Republican U.S. senator from Kansas, and she’s on a mission to eradicate an onslaught of so-called “wokeness” caused by particular books she dislikes. Armed with Christian fundamentalist theology and her trusty “go-fer/chauffeur,” Teri Todie,Barb begins building a coalition of mothers and daughters to fight against “questionable”books such as Charlotte’s Weband Winnie-the-Pooh. On the opposing side are Camille Hubbard and Frances Reid, two retired Kansas City librarians who are moved to defend every child’s right to read. As Barb’s star rises on conservative media, so does Camile and Frances’ fame in a series of viral protests in collaboration with a growing group of teen activists. When Barb joins forces with right-wing extremist groups who begin targeting the “Contrarian Librarians” with accusations of pedophilia and death threats, Camille and Frances only ramp up their efforts. Soon, Barb begins to unexpectedly see elements and characters from the targeted books in her daily life—including apparent spiders and spiderwebs. Kasten’s political perspectives are clear, although they’re sometimes heavy-handedly expressed. However, the struggle between the religious right and a pair of tenacious, retired librarians is conveyed beautifully, and the story has an abundance of empathy throughout. Many revelations, such as that Barb and her compatriots have never actually read the books they want to ban, are apt and amusing, and moments of magical realism are utterly delightful. Peripheral stories about Teri and Barb’s progressive daughter, Mart, can be distracting, but ultimately add to the multifaceted narrative.

A beguiling work of political satire whose wit rivals a late-night sketch show.