S02E21 The Books they Tried to Destroy

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of The Mighty Philbert, we explore why so many of the books that shaped Generation X keep landing on banned and challenged book lists.From The Handmaid’s Tale to Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, from Slaughterhouse-Five to The Catcher in the Rye, these novels didn’t just entertain us — they formed us. They taught us to question authority, recognize hypocrisy, and process doubt without panic.So why are they repeatedly challenged in schools and libraries?Using data from the American Library Association, we take a thoughtful (and slightly skeptical) look at modern book challenges, moral panic cycles, and what censorship often reveals about fear, power, and narrative control.This isn’t about outrage.It’s about awareness.#themightyphilbert #deconstruction #exvangelical #genx