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, Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, and 1984 by George Orwell.
This season, we’re diving into Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. It's a dystopia built on pleasure, not fear. People are engineered, drugged, and distracted into obedience, and they’re taught to love the system that controls them. It’s funny, creepy, and disturbingly familiar. And like all great banned books, it makes you question the world you're living in.
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
Brave New World | Ch. 3.1: History Is Bunk, Apparently So Are We
In this episode of Banned Camp, Jennifer and Dan dive into Chapter 3 of Brave New World, where sunshine, roses, and children’s games quickly give way to dystopian creepiness. From naked playgrounds to helicopters buzzing overhead, the Director lectures about games designed not for fun—but for consumption. Jen and Dan connect this to modern-day corporate-government fusions, from billionaires at Trump’s inauguration to propaganda tucked inside a child’s name.
Things To Listen For:
- Centrifugal Bumble-Puppy (aka Golden Retriever tennis ball machine 2.0)
- Naked kids, corporate dystopias, and a very dark definition of “playtime”
- Polly Trotsky: why even rebellion gets branded with a bow
- The return of Prudence (our Moms for Liberty bot)
- Hair of the Bear: dystopian blue movies or worst hangover cure?
- Mustafa Mond, the world controller, declaring that history is “bunk”
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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. To ensure the best listening experience, some sections may be lightly abridged for clarity and pacing. However, we always stay true to the author’s intent and encourage listeners to purchase the book in full.
The material used from Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 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 Aldous Huxley, his estate, or the publishers of Brave New World. Any monetization of the podcast is separate from the copyrighted material discussed.
Topics Covered:
Brave New World, dystopia, banned books, censorship, Polly Trotsky, Mustafa Mond, history is bunk, Prudence bot, corporate fascism, helicopter surveillance, feely theaters