Brave New World Ch. 14.2: Linda’s Death & Savage Grief | Banned Books Podcast

John sits at his mother’s deathbed in a hospital designed to make dying as cheerful and efficient as possible. Linda drifts in and out under a haze of soma while a group of tiny khaki Deltas wander through the ward eating éclairs like it’s a field trip. John can’t find a moment of dignity or privacy… even at the end.

Banned Camp is a comedy podcast where we read banned books chapter by chapter... no reading ahead, so you’re discovering the story with us in real time.

Things To Listen For:

• John tries to summon a happy childhood memory by chanting A-B-C, and it goes exactly how you’d expect
• Linda gets pumped full of soma while the hospital pipes in “comfort smells” to keep the vibes up
• Dan and Jennifer wrestle with whether John accidentally killed his mother or if this was always where it was headed
• A nurse scolds John for crying because it might “decondition” the kids nearby
• Five chocolate-smeared Delta twins show up and stare at John mid-breakdown
• Dan prepares for John to snap and lose it on a group of dessert-covered 8-year-olds

Why Was Brave New World Banned?

Its challenges to morality, conditioning, sex, drugs, family structure, and state-controlled happiness have put it on challenge lists for decades. Chapters like this one... where grief itself is treated as antisocial... tend to upset the people who want books to “send the right message.”

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.

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

Rate, review, and follow us on Apple Podcasts
to help other scary book people find us.

Featured Clips

This episode includes short clips from:

• “ABC / 123” by The Jackson 5
• “Memories” by Maroon 5

All rights belong to their respective owners and are used under fair use for cultural commentary and education.

Disclaimer

Banned Camp features readings and discussions of banned books for criticism, commentary, education, and entertainment under fair use.

The material from Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is shared under these principles. We encourage listeners to purchase a copy here to experience the full book.

This podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Aldous Huxley, his estate, or the publishers of Brave New World. Any monetization is separate from the copyrighted material discussed.

Topics Covered

Brave New World, Aldous Huxley, Chapter 14, John the Savage, Linda, Pope, Deltas, death conditioning, soma, dystopia, grie