The War on Books

What makes a book dangerous?In this episode of Transatlantic Bookmarks, we discuss banned books, censorship, school libraries, Pride Month, LGBTQ literature, free speech, and the role books play in helping us understand lives different from our own. From John Steinbeck and Upton Sinclair to Alice Walker and Andrew Sean Greer, we explore why certain books become cultural battlegrounds and who gets to decide what belongs on the shelf.We also discuss book bans in the United States, the difference between age-appropriate reading and censorship, the role of librarians, LGBTQ representation in literature, and why societies often seem more comfortable with violence than with sex. At the center of the conversation is a simple question: what do we lose when access to books becomes restricted?📚 BOOKS MENTIONED:• No Shortcuts to the Top by Ed Viesturs (with David Roberts)• Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer• White Teeth by Zadie Smith• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck• Das Kapital by Karl Marx• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck• The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand• The Works of Immanuel Kant• Less by Andrew Sean Greer• The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare• Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell• The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak• The Jungle by Upton Sinclair• The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes• The Color Purple by Alice Walker💌 Our Substack & Show Notes:https://transatlanticbookmarks.substack.com/📚 Read Ksenija’s Novels:https://transatlanticbookmarks.substack.com/p/publications📚 Ksenija on Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6449766.Ksenija_Popovi_🎙️ ABOUT TRANSATLANTIC BOOKMARKSHosted by European novelist Ksenija Popović and American engineer Sue Graham Johnston, Transatlantic Bookmarks uses books as the starting point for conversations about culture, history, psychology, morality, politics, and the questions hiding between the lines.New episodes every Saturday.👉🏻 CHAPTERS00:00 Intro02:49 What We’re Reading05:21 The Fear of a Different Opinion08:54 The Role of Literature in Critical Thinking09:20 Pride Month and LGBTQ Representation16:23 Cultural Divides in America21:23 Book Banning in the United States25:55 The Case for Censorship33:46 The Hypocrisy of Censorship38:03 Censoring Socialism43:36 LGBTQIA+ in the Balkans49:28 Unexpected Events and Personal Stories51:13 Pride Marches: Corporate Influence vs. Authenticity52:45 The Role of Librarians in Democracy56:13 Both Sides Are Banning