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Banned Camp: Banned Books, Comedy, and Free Speech vs. Censorship
Love banned books? Hate censorship?
Same. You’re our kind of people.
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. 13.2–14 - Woke Winston and the Meat Modems
Winston realizes the past has been erased—and the future might be, too. Jennifer wonders if anything even matters anymore. Dan points out that Project 2025 might not take 30 years... more like 30 months. Also: O’Brien makes a suspicious move, Julia shrugs off reality, and Robot invents the phrase meat modem. You know, just another day in dystopia.
Things To Listen For:
- The Party’s obsession with erasing the past
- Julia’s rebellion “from the waist down”
- Dan and Jennifer's real-time panic spiral
- The chilling power of thoughtcrime and “alternative facts”
- O’Brien’s invitation... and the feeling of stepping into a grave
Banworthy to Bingeworthy:
Need some smart, progressive news to balance out all the fascist rats in your life?
Check out Good News for Lefties—a daily hit of wins, resilience, and hope.
Beowulf Rochlen delivers the stories that prove the fight isn’t over. Find it wherever you get your podcasts.
Also check out Making Space with Hoda Kotb for inspiring conversations about growth, healing, and compassion.
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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. The material used from the book 1984 by George Orwell is shared under these principles, with the intent of provoking thought and discussion about literature, censorship, and societal issues.
The original work remains fully owned by its copyright holders, and we strongly encourage listeners to purchase a copy here to experience the book in its entirety.
This podcast is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to George Orwell, his estate, or the publishers of 1984. Any monetization of the podcast is separate from the copyrighted material discussed. Our goal is to foster literary appreciation, critical discussion, and educational engagement within the fair use framework—because we all know what happens when people start letting governments or corporations decide what can and can’t be read.
Topics Covered:
1984, Winston Smith, Julia, memory hole, historical erasure, O’Brien, censorship, thoughtcrime, Project 2025, book bans, authoritarianism, banned books