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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!
Banned Camp: Banned Books, Comedy, and Free Speech vs. Censorship
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 telescreen for two minutes straight (which, to be fair, is basically Twitter).
Meanwhile, Jennifer comes up with the worst Spin the Bottle scenario imaginable, and Robot fact-checks them both like an exhausted AP History teacher.
Things to Listen For:
- Winston Smith: repressed freedom fighter or the original nice guy?
- How hate rallies became a fun group activity (and why that feels relevant).
- Jennifer and Dan try to figure out if Goldstein even exists.
Featured Clips:
@tifanimichelle76’s version of The Golden Girls theme song – Because even in a surveillance state, everyone needs a friend. plus, a few seconds of the theme from The NeverEnding Story – Because childhood nostalgia and totalitarian dystopias go hand in hand. All rights and copyrights are the property of their respective owners and are used here for entertainment and educational purposes under fair use guidelines. No copyright infringement intended.
Take Action – Call Your Reps
Feeling fired up about the state of democracy? The 5 Calls app makes it ridiculously easy to contact your representatives about the issues that matter. Just open the app, pick a topic, and it’ll give you a script and the right number to call. Because real change happens when people make noise.
Download the app here:
- iOS (Apple)
- Android (Google Play)
Banworthy to Bingeworthy Podcasts:
- Good News for Lefties – A daily podcast that gives you progressive news without making you want to launch yourself into the sun.
- The Blueprint with Jen Psaki (MSNBC) – Jen Psaki explains why everything is a disaster, but in a way that actually makes sense.
Rate, Review, & Follow:
Love Banned Camp? Help other Scary Book People find us! Rate, review, and follow us on Apple Podcasts here: Banned Camp on Apple Podcasts
Disclaimer:
Banned Camp features readings and discussions of banned books for the purpose of criticism, commentary, education, and entertainment, in accordance with fair use guidelines. 1984 by George Orwell is shared under these principles. We strongly encourage listeners to purchase the book in full: Buy Here from Penguin Random House.
This podcast is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to George Orwell’s estate or publisher. Our goal is to foster literary appreciation, critical discussion, and educational engagement—because we all know what happens when people let governments decide what can and can’t be read.
Topics Covered:
1984, George Orwell, mass hysteria, political propaganda, historical scapegoats, government control, manufactured outrage, cult mentality, censorship, Trump as a golden idol.
Don’t forget, you can grab a free ‘I Read Banned Books’ decal at BannedCampPodcast.com/stickers. Supplies are limited, so don’t wait.