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. 15.1: John Confronts the Soma Mob | Banned Books Podcast
John leaves his mother’s deathbed only to walk straight into a crowd of Deltas lining up for their Soma ration. Surrounded by identical khaki-clad twins, grief turns into fury, and he snaps... interrupting the Soma handout with a desperate plea for freedom.
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:
- Jennifer’s realization that the Deltas are basically paid in drugs, not money
- Dan comparing the uniformity of Delta life to every American suburb with a TJ Maxx and a Home Depot
- The Target boycott detour involving crappy goodie bags, missing Uno cards, and a single Nerds packet
- John bursting into the Soma line yelling “throw it all away” and immediately triggering a near-riot
- The uncomfortable parallels to modern propaganda, economic precarity, and who controls the “happy pills”
Why was Brave New World banned?
Chapters like this one spotlight state control, drug-dependent obedience, and the fear of people thinking for themselves. Themes of free sex, state-mandated happiness, and anti-authoritarian rebellion have all contributed to decades of challenges against this book.
New to Banned Camp?
Start anywhere — each episode stands alone while building on the story.
Banworthy to Bingeworthy
If you need something new for your queue, here are the shows we dropped into this episode:
- Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder (NBC News Studios)
A gripping reexamination of the 1975 murder of Martha Moxley, using interviews, long-buried evidence, and archival audio to unravel decades of confusion and court battles. - Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order
A six-part investigation into a shocking executive order authorizing the roundup of innocent Americans — and the bombshell discovery that finally exposed it. - Good News for Lefties
Hosted by Beowulf Rochlen, this show cuts through the noise with sharp reporting, humor, and the kind of clarity you wish cable news had.
And we made a new sticker you’re gonna love.
It’s called Orange Felon Blue Bubba, with that vintage Wacky Pack vibe, inspired by the wildest thing to fall out of the Epstein files.
Completely free, and we even cover shipping.
Grab yours at bannedcamppodcast.com/orange-blue.
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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 15, John the Savage, Linda, Lenina, Delta twins, soma, propaganda, conditioning, addiction, confo