Season 1, Episode 10
Book Burning Bonanza
What makes a book bannable? And what impact do all of these cries for censoring books actually have?
Host
Jason Anderson
About This Episode
Listen, folks, I can’t talk about COVID every week. It’s exhausting. It’s demoralizing.
Instead, let’s talk about…book banning! (much more uplifting, yes?)
Every year, the American Library Association publishes a list of the top most challenged books in school and public libraries. These are the books you hear mentioned in hushed whispers, the ones with rumors of sexual content and gays and lesbians and profanities and atheism and other things that some segments of the population find offensive. Maybe it’s an older book that has the N word, or maybe it’s…well, maybe it’s Captain Underpants! Do you have an elementary school-aged child that’s introduced you to Captain Underpants? Well, I do. Apparently the good captain is the 5th-most-complained-about book in our schools and libraries. It is “unsuited to an age group,” so the complaints say.
This episode explores the “worst” books of the past 20 years. (For convenience, all of that data is also compiled on a new dashboard — complete with Amazon links if you’d like to have some forbidden fruit.)
Related Content
Premature Lift of Mask Requirements at Blue Valley North
Blue Valley North prematurely lifting mask requirementGood afternoon, Dr. Ostroski at Blue Valley North has communicated that the building is returning to masks-optional policy on Monday, January 24th. Per the language of the board's policy from January 10: Beginning...
Battle Station: Omicron
Season 1, Episode 9 Battle Station: OmicronDid I really say last week that I was thinking about taking off our face masks? Oh, karma, you sneaky sneak. Let's talk about the new variant du jour.Host Jason AndersonAlso Available On: Spotify Apple PodcastsAbout This...
When Can We Take Off Our Masks?
Season 1, Episode 8 When Can We Take Off Our Masks?After a year and a half of shutdowns, quarantines, and other public drama, we're still waiting for a collective answer to the question that affects us the most in our daily lives: When can I take off this mask?Host...