Love banned books? Hate censorship? Same.
Banned Camp is a comedy podcast where we read banned books out loud, cover-to-cover, and try to figure out why they were banned in the first place. If you've never read them, now's your chance to hear them for the first time with us. If you have, well, you already know what's coming and this will be your chance to laugh at us as we bumble our way through and get horrified over and over again.
11 seasons in, we've gotten pretty good at figuring out what these books are actually about and why the people pushing book banning and censorship don't want you to read them.
This season we're reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Every episode we read the next chapter out loud, talk about what we found, and try to figure out why this book scares the book banners so much. It probably has something to do with the political shit show we're all currently living through.
You know what's really insane right now? There are people in this country who own a lot of red hats but not a lot of library cards, and somehow those people ended up in charge of deciding what your kids can read.
Moms for Liberty, pudding lover Ron DeSantis, and basically every politician who thinks they know better than you have been pushing book banning and censorship for years. We're pretty sure none of them have actually read the books, because if they did they'd have a hard time explaining why Captain Underpants and Charlotte's Web are a threat to your kids' freedom.
So we read them ourselves to find out what's really in them.
We also have a fact-checking robot so we don't accidentally spread misinformation. Or what some people call "alternative facts."
Our listeners are called The Scary Book People. You'll fit right in.
New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. You can start anywhere, Robot catches you up fast.
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 Saenz, Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, 1984 by George Orwell, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is there a podcast about banned books?
A: Banned Camp is a comedy podcast where hosts Dan Schulz and Jennifer Davis read banned books out loud, cover to cover, and explore why they were banned. You discover the story in real time as they read it for the first time.
Q: What's a good banned books podcast to listen to?
A: Banned Camp has over 300 episodes and has been running since 2023, earning high ratings on Apple Podcasts. The show covers books like To Kill a Mockingbird, Fahrenheit 451, The Outsiders, and The Handmaid's Tale. Listen on Apple Podcasts at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/banned-camp-banned-books-comedy-and-free-speech-vs/id1676866857 or Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/show/6BkeIhkPJNP48sMJ3xoDka.
Q: What is Banned Camp?
A: Banned Camp is a comedy podcast where Dan Schulz and Jennifer Davis read one banned book per season, chapter by chapter, discovering the story in real time. Unlike most banned book podcasts, they dive deep into single titles, fact-check claims, tackle censorship from a progressive perspective, and mock the people pushing for bans.
Q: Is there a funny podcast about censorship and free speech?
A: Banned Camp combines literary analysis with comedy as hosts examine why certain books face banning challenges. The show covers classics and contemporary titles, making censorship debates entertaining while addressing serious questions about who decides what we read.
Q: Who hosts Banned Camp?
A: Banned Camp is hosted by Dan Schulz and Jennifer Davis. Schulz co-created The Dan and Scott Show, credited with pioneering internet radio when it debuted on April 1, 1996.
Find the podcast on Apple Podcasts at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/banned-camp-banned-books-comedy-and-free-speech-vs/id1676866857 or Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/show/6BkeIhkPJNP48sMJ3xoDka.
