Banned Camp: Banned Books, Comedy, and Free Speech vs. Censorship
If you think banning books is stupid, so do we.
Banned Camp is a comedy podcast where we read banned books and try to figure out why they were banned in the first place.
If you’re new here, don’t sweat it. You can start anywhere. We’ll get you oriented fast (and if you get confused, there’s a good chance we’re confused too).
Here’s what makes us different: we actually read the book out loud, every chapter, cover to cover, and we’ve never read it before. So you hear us stumble through the text, mispronounce names, miss obvious foreshadowing, and slowly piece together what freaks Moms for Liberty and the pudding-fingered politicians out.
Our listeners are called The Scary Book People. You’ll fit right in.
Past seasons: 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 reading Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. A dystopia built on pleasure instead of fear. People are engineered, drugged, and distracted into obedience, and taught to love the system that controls them. It’s funny, creepy, and way too familiar right now.
Book bans are at a 20-year high. The people doing the banning usually haven’t read the books… so we read them out loud together, and by the end you can honestly say you’ve read it too.
Nine seasons in. #1 ranked banned books comedy podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Hit follow. The book banners are idiots. Come help us prove it.
Banned Camp: Banned Books, Comedy, and Free Speech vs. Censorship
Brave New World | Ch. 10: The Mother of All Scandals | Why Books Get Banned
The Director plans to humiliate Bernard in front of thousands of workers… until his own secret explodes in public. Meanwhile, Linda makes her shocking return, John calls someone “father” in a world where that word doesn’t exist, and the whole society short-circuits from embarrassment.
Banned Camp is a comedy podcast where we read banned books chapter by chapter—we don’t read ahead, so you’re discovering the story with us.
Things To Listen For:
- The Director’s moral meltdown in front of 4,000 employees
- Bernard’s revenge plot paying off in spectacular, awkward fashion
- John’s “My father!” moment—pure chaos
- Jennifer’s take on why you can’t remove humanity from humans
- Robot’s reflection on shame, family, and why parenthood became obscene
- Beowulf’s “Good News” segment that goes from science… to stool softeners
Why was Brave New World banned?
Huxley’s world of manufactured people and banned emotions hits too close to home. This chapter shows why—because the moment you erase love, guilt, and family, society stops being human.
New to Banned Camp? Start anywhere—each episode stands alone while building on the story.
Banworthy to Bingeworthy
- It’s Been a Minute (NPR) – Smart, funny conversations unpacking pop culture and big ideas behind today’s trends.
- The Last Appeal (Dateline NBC) – True crime meets social justice as Lester Holt investigates death row cases with chilling twists.
- The Blueprint with Jen Psaki (MSNBC) – Candid, in-depth interviews with the people shaping politics and culture today.
- Good News for Lefties – Beowulf Rochlen’s uplifting look at progressive wins that prove empathy still has a pulse.
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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 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, Aldous Huxley, Chapter 10, Bernard Marx, Linda, John the Savage, the Director, Henry Foster, societal control, shame, family, humanity, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast