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Banned Camp: Banned Books, Comedy, and Free Speech vs. Censorship
Banned Camp is a comedy podcast where we read banned books and try to figure out why they were banned in the first place.
Each season, we tackle a new banned book, reading it chapter by chapter and asking: What made someone clutch their pearls and scream, "BAN IT!"? (Spoiler: It’s rarely what you’d expect.) One thing is clear—the people banning these books often haven’t read them. While we uncover some eyebrow-raising moments, nothing truly justifies censorship.
Join us—and our listeners, "The Scary Book People"—as we explore the strange, hilarious, and sometimes baffling world of banned books.
Past seasons have featured classics like To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, and Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.
This season, we’re diving into 1984 by George Orwell—a dystopian warning that feels eerily real today. From thought control to banned books, its message is more relevant than ever, and that’s exactly why it remains one of the most challenged books of all time.
By reading these books, we ask big questions: Why are banned books important? What does “banned” mean? What does “challenged” mean? How do book bans affect students? Are book bans constitutional?
Come hang out with us and have some laughs while we dig into the drama behind banned books—you might even learn something cool along the way!
Episodes
209 episodes
1984 | Ch. 12 - Bugs, Beds, and Brown Snow
In this episode of Banned Camp, Winston and Julia’s secret love nest gets less romantic and more... rodent-infested. Jennifer and Dan wade through Orwell’s sensual rebellion: contraband jam, lipstick resistance, and an entire kilo of “...
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Season 8
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Episode 22
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30:33
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1984 | Ch. 11.2 - The Ministry of Love Is a Lie
In this episode of Banned Camp, Jennifer and Dan dig into Chapter 11.2 of 1984, where Winston and Julia lean fully into their doomed rebellion—with jam, real sugar, and a mattress that probably has bedbugs. As they debate whet...
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Season 8
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Episode 21
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36:33
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How to Stop Moms for Liberty Without Losing Your Mind
In this special episode of Banned Camp, Jennifer and Dan set aside Orwell for a moment to unveil a four-part framework designed to help you stand up to groups like Moms for Liberty. From showing up at school board meetings to dismantli...
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Season 8
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Episode 20
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21:18
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1984 | Ch. 11.1 – Love in the Time of Telescreens
In Chapter 11.1 of 1984, Winston and Julia’s rebellion gets complicated. Their secret meetups involve shoelace codes, bird-scented hideouts, and dodging telescreens like Olympic sprinters. Meanwhile, Julia drops a few bombshells of her...
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Season 8
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Episode 19
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35:12
1984 | Ch. 10 - Love, Lies & Black Market Butter
In this episode of Banned Camp, Jennifer and Dan unpack Chapter 10 of Orwell’s 1984, where Winston and Julia’s secret relationship takes a physical and emotional leap. From bluebells and black market butter to the political we...
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Season 8
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Episode 18
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39:07
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1984 | Ch. 9 - Flirting Under Fascism
In this episode of Banned Camp, Jennifer and Dan dive into Chapter 9 of Orwell's 1984 (also known as Part Two). Sparks fly—literally and figuratively—as Winston receives a handwritten note in a government bathroom and tries to...
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Season 8
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Episode 17
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39:38
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Banned Camp Bonus: The Bookstore Fighting Back—with a Taser
In this special episode of Banned Camp, Jennifer and Dan take a break from 1984 to talk with Lindsay Schultz, owner of The Spine Bookshop in Smyrna, Tennessee. Lindsay isn’t just selling banned books—she’s giving them away for...
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Season 8
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Episode 16
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17:07
1984 | Ch. 8.3 - Trinkets of the Past
In this episode of Banned Camp, Jennifer and Dan explore Chapter 8.3 of 1984, where Winston returns to the junk shop and stumbles upon relics of a forgotten world. From an antique paperweight to a banned nursery rhyme, beauty ...
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Season 8
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Episode 15
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36:28
1984 | Ch. 8.2 – You Can’t Buy a Revolution in Half-Liters
In this episode of Banned Camp, Winston ventures into a pub hoping to unearth truth from the lips of a prole old enough to remember the world before the Party. Instead, he gets vague memories, bladder complaints, and a pint of wallop. ...
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Season 8
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Episode 14
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33:34
1984 | Ch. 8 - Winston Kicks a Severed Hand and Calls It a Day
In Chapter 8 of 1984, Winston skips out on mandatory fun and wanders into the “prole” section of London, where the smell of real coffee gives way to rocket bombs, severed limbs, and prole drama over lottery numbers that probably don’t ...
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Season 8
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Episode 13
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26:39
1984 | Ch. 7.2 - The Forced Confessions of the Fallen Trio
In this episode, Jen and Dan read Chapter 7.2 of George Orwell's '1984'. They really wrestle with the big moment where Winston's mysterious evidence finally comes to light—struggling to grasp its significance. Robot, of course, instant...
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Season 8
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Episode 12
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35:07
1984 | Ch. 6.2 - Uprising in the Utensil Aisle
This episode of Banned Camp sees Jennifer and Dan exploring Chapter 6.2 of George Orwell’s 1984. They discuss the latent power of the proles and their potential to overthrow the oppressive regime, blending in-depth analysis wi...
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Season 8
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Episode 11
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29:48
1984 | Ch. 6: Winston’s Worst Date Ever
In this episode, Winston takes a trip down memory lane—unfortunately, it’s a dark alley leading to a sketchy basement. Jennifer and Dan dissect Orwell’s bleak vision of love, marriage, and the Party’s war on pleasure. Meanwhile, Jennifer develo...
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Season 8
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Episode 10
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32:23
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1984 | Ch. 5.1 – Hate Week, Face Crimes, and Big Brother’s Lies
In this episode of Banned Camp, Jennifer and Dan dive into Chapter 5 of 1984, where Winston’s world gets sweatier (thanks to Parsons), creepier (thanks to child spies), and dumber (thanks to the Ministry of Plenty’s creative a...
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Season 8
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Episode 9
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33:58
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1984 | Ch. 5 - The Ministry of Lunch and Other Nightmares
Winston’s lunch break turns into a lesson in state-sponsored misery as we step into Chapter 5 of 1984. The Party’s grip tightens, and so does our growing sense of dread (and nausea) as we explore the horrors of Newspeak, the lingering ...
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Season 8
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Episode 8
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33:35
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1984 | Ch. 4.2 – Winston’s Fake News Factory
Winston Smith has a job so dystopian it makes Fox News look subtle. His role? To take history, crumple it up, toss it in a memory hole, and replace it with whatever Big Brother feels like today. Enter: Comrade Ogilvy, a war hero so patriotic an...
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Season 8
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Episode 7
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33:44
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1984 | Ch. 4 – Memory Holes: Where Facts Go to Die
In this episode of Banned Camp, Jennifer and Dan dive into Chapter 4 of 1984, where Winston begins his thrilling new job at the Ministry of Truth—erasing inconvenient facts and rewriting history to fit Big Brother’s narrative....
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Season 8
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Episode 6
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26:33
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1984 | Ch. 3 - The Physical Jerks & Other Dystopian Horrors
What happens when the government controls not just what you do—but what you remember?Winston’s memories are fading, his past is being rewritten, and even his own body isn’t his own anymore. In Chapter 3 of 1984, ...
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Season 8
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Episode 5
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38:22
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1984 | Ch. 3.1 – The Party is Gaslighting You
In this episode of Banned Camp, Jennifer and Dan unravel the latest Orwellian nightmare in Chapter 3.1 of 1984. Winston is shocked to discover that the Party’s propaganda machine is working as intended—kids are snitching on their parents, war i...
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Season 8
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Episode 4
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28:38
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1984 | Ch. 2.1 - Down with Big Brother (Oops, Did I Write That?)
Welcome back to Banned Camp, the podcast where we read banned books, expose authoritarian nonsense, and occasionally wonder if we should be whispering all of this into burner phones instead of broadcasting it.Today, Winst...
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Season 8
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Episode 3
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35:09
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1984 | Ch. 1.2 - Orwell Predicted Everything Except the Golden Girls Cover Song
Welcome back to Banned Camp, where we’re reading 1984 one chapter at a time and slowly realizing Orwell was way too optimistic. In today's episode, we cover Chapter 1.2, where Winston Smith is legally required to scream at a t...
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Season 8
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Episode 2
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39:15
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1984 | Ch. 1 - Big Brother is Watching (And So Are We)
Welcome to the new season of Banned Camp, where we dive into 1984 by George Orwell—a book that somehow gets more relevant every year. In Chapter 1, we meet Winston Smith, a guy whose daily routine includes rewriting history fo...
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Season 8
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Episode 1
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36:28
Slaughterhouse-Five: Page vs. Screen (Crossover with Queer Cinema Catchup)
In this special crossover episode, Jennifer and Dan from Banned Camp team up with Joe and Allison from Queer Cinema Catch-Up to compare the Slaughterhouse-Five novel with its 1972 film adaptation. Is this a faithful adaptation...
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Season 7
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Episode 26
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46:58
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Slaughterhouse-Five | Ch. 10 - So It Ends, So It Goes
This is it—Jennifer and Dan reach the final chapter of Slaughterhouse-Five, and they’re not alone! Special guest Beowulf Rochlen, host of Good News for Lefties, joins the discussion as they navigate Vonnegut’s signature...
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Season 7
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Episode 25
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34:04
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Slaughterhouse-Five | Ch. 9.3 – Billy Pilgrim Walks Into a Times Square Bookstore...
Billy Pilgrim sneaks out of bed rest and takes an impromptu trip to New York City—because of course he does. His itinerary? Wandering into a seedy Times Square bookstore, buying a Kilgore Trout novel, dodging a Shetland pony scandal, and accide...
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Season 7
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Episode 24
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24:58
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