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!
- Update frequency
- every 3 days
- Average duration
- 27 minutes
- Episodes
- 249
- Years Active
- 2023 - 2025
To Kill a Mockingbird | Chapter 8 - Snowy Mischief & Maudie's Meltdown
Jen and Dan read chapter 8 of To Kill a Mockingbird.
When a snowy surprise hits Maycomb, Jem, and Scout sculpt an icy doppelganger of their cranky neighbor, but the real chills come from a cryptic bl…
To Kill a Mockingbird | Chapter 7 - Jem Walks Like an Egyptian
Jen and Dan read chapter 7 of To Kill a Mockingbird.
As Jem and Scout uncover a series of enigmatic knothole presents that outshine Maycomb's mundane toothpick-whittling craze, Dan ponders whether Je…
To Kill a Mockingbird | Chapter 6 - Radley Ruckus & Minty Mayhem
SPECIAL PROGRAMMING NOTE:
Starting this week, Banned Camp will now be released twice per week. New episodes will drop Tuesdays and Thursdays at approximately 6 am EST/3 am PST. The feedback blows us …
To Kill a Mockingbird | Chapter 5 - Hook, Line, & Foot-Washing Baptists
Jen and Dan read chapter 5 of To Kill a Mockingbird.
When foot-washing Baptists frown upon Miss Maudie's heavenly flowers, we're reminded that some folks just can't handle the simple pleasures in lif…
To Kill a Mockingbird | Chapter 4 - Slow Curriculums and Ghostly Vapors
Jen and Dan read chapter 4 of To Kill a Mockingbird.
Jem's panic over Scout's gum-chewing habits leads to a larger discussion on the dangers of knotholes and chimneys.
Join the fight against book ba…
To Kill a Mockingbird | Chapter 3 - Hush Your Fussin'
Jen and Dan read chapter 3 of To Kill a Mockingbird.
Hot take - Jennifer prefers empathy over bed slats.
Join the fight against book banning in your local community, and get your copy of The Book Ban…
To Kill a Mockingbird | Chapter 2 - Hot for Teacher, Cold for Clutter
Jen and Dan read chapter 2 of To Kill a Mockingbird.
Jen is considering taking Atticus’ advice to use bartering to clean her house.
Join the fight against book banning in your local community, and ge…
To Kill a Mockingbird | Chapter 1 - Slow Life and Sweaty Teacakes
Jen and Dan kick off this season by reading chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbird.
Dan seems to identify with the slower pace of life in a sleepy town, but Jennifer can't stand that phrase 'Ladies bath…
Welcome to Banned Camp, the banned book podcast.
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…