The Beautiful and Banned

We're back and we have missed you! Is it even a podcast if we haven't talked about Heated Rivalry? In the first episode of Season 4, we are joined by special guest Nisha Sharma: a lawyer, award-wining writer, former corporate culture executive, scholar and author of over ten published books for teens and adults--and, more importantly for us, our dear colleague at Wilkes University! We're delighted to have one of the smartest women we know join us to talk all things Heated Rivalry, including why it's been banned in Russia, what exactly that means in a country where it's illegal to be LGBTQIA+, and what Russian young people are telling the world about what it's like to finally see a joyful depiction of a queer relationship. Also: even in the midst of everything going on right now, we're still finding hope!Join the conversation on Substack! If you'd prefer to be a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau. If you have questions for us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support our podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Episode 1 links: Rachel Reid's website with the books from Carina PressNBC News article about HR as a "word-of-mouth hit" in Russia that could lead to prisonReuters article about the Russian Supreme Court's banning of the "LGBTQ movement" as "extremist"The ramifications of that law, according to Coming OutThe Moscow Times overview of the HR phenomenon in RussiaNisha's recs for writers to read if you liked HR: Meryl Wilsner (they/them)Cat Sebastian (she/her) [Jessica seconds; I'm obsessed with Cat Sebastian]We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Is George Orwell psychic? In this emotional season finale, Christine and Jessica discuss the rise of totalitarianism and Orwell's eerily accurate predictions. In prepping for the episode, they saw firsthand how AI is already doing the very thing Orwell warned us again--erasing our past in real time. And, as they recorded on the heels of a war that ended as quickly as it began, the idea of constant war has never felt so real. You won't want to miss this discussion.Join the conversation on Substack! If you'd prefer to be a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau. If you have questions for us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support our podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwalddesigned our logo. Jillian Benedict is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.We will be taking the rest of the summer off to read and rest. We hope you join us in the fall for season 4 of "The Beautiful and Banned"!Episode 9 Links: 1984 by George OrwellA Britannica biography of OrwellA link to an accurate story about 1984 being banned--in 1981 in Jacksonville, Florida.A link to an inaccurate story of it being banned (the book does not, as this Am*zon affiliation site claims, maintain "its status as the most banned book of all time in America"). This is one example of many that inaccurately called 1984 the most banned book in the US.Park MacDougald's 2016 article on Peter Thiel in The IntelligencerThe "Behind the Bastards" episodes with Ed Helms on Curtis Yarvin (Mencius Moldbug) are a great place to learn more. Or this New Yorker profile about Yarvin. We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

In this short interlude, Jessica and Christine are together at the Creative Writing MFA program Wilkes University, where they met and they both teach. They tell you why there will be a one-week delay on the season finale--which gives you time to read George Orwell's 1984 along with them! Join us next Tuesday for the final episode of season 3! Join the conversation on Substack! If you'd prefer to be a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau. If you have questions for us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support our podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwalddesigned our logo. Jillian Benedict is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Interlude 2 link:Find out more about the Maslow Family Graduate Program in Creative Writing at Wilkes UniversityWe'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Christine and Jessica discuss Red, White, and Royal Blue, one of the most banned books in recent history: a royal romp with political overtones and a heart of gold. Jessica's life goal of getting Christine to read contemporary romance is unlocked! And even though Jessica was less than hopeful about Texas politics in this episode, just a few days after it was recorded, the first lesbian, Asian-American mayor of San Antonio was elected in a decisive victory despite being the outspent underdog, proving why McQuiston's book remains so timely--because Texas will always, always surprise you.Join the conversation on Substack! If you'd prefer to be a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau. If you have questions for us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support our podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwalddesigned our logo. Jillian Benedict is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Join us in two weeks in the season 3 finale as Christine and Jessica discuss 1984 by George Orwell!Episode 8 Links: Red, White, and Royal BlueCasey McQuiston's websiteA 2022 Publisher's Weekly interview with McQuistonThe Texas Tribune on one of the Texas lege bills we mentionWe'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

For the first time on this podcast, we're reading a book that is not banned: Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin is controversial and challenging, but not challenged--at least not yet. But it's such a seminal book for understanding where we are in the country, and how we can both criticize and love our country, that we decided to read it anyway. Listen in to this important conversation about Baldwin whose every word is incredible, the roots of racism and how it hurts all of us, and how we can move forward as a nation. This book is deeply critical and holds well-earned hope--we promise, this conversation will change you.Join the conversation on Substack! If you'd prefer to be a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau. If you have questions for us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support our podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jillian Benedict is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Join us in two weeks as Christine and Jessica discuss Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston! Episode 7 links: Notes of a Native Son by James BaldwinBaldwin's biography Info about Baldwin's relationship with Lucien HappersbergerWe'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

In this short interlude, Jessica talks about why there's not an episode this week, what next week's episode will hold as we discuss our first book that has NOT been banned, and what's happening at the Library of Congress in the one of the most bonkers stories of our time (which is saying a lot).All links and quotes for today's LOC story can be found in today's article in The Injustice Report.  Call your representatives ASAP and tell them you're very worried about what's happening at the Library of Congress and expect them to speak up! We look forward to joining you next week with our episode about James Baldwin's Notes of a Native Son--not a banned book but a critical one for us today.We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

To talk about ACOTAR, Jessica is joined this week by special guest Alyssa Morris, whose popular Romancing the Phone newsletter demystifies into BookTok trends and digs into the publishing industry. Alyssa and Jessica talk about the phenomenon of A Court of Thorn and Roses (banned statewide in Utah schools), what's really happening with romance and romantasy, and why these genres deserve such respect. Don't worry, we also cover fairy smut!Join the conversation on Substack! If you'd prefer to be a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau. If you have questions for us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support our podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jillian Benedict is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Join us in two weeks as Christine and Jessica discuss Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin! Episode 6 links:Alyssa's newsletter, Romancing the PhoneAlyssa's websiteAbout ACOTAR from Alpha Reader, AP News, and Utah State Board of Education  Alyssa's Recs:Romance:We Could Be So Good and You Should Be So Lucky by Cat SebastianBeach Read and Book Lovers by Emily HenryPretty Face by Lucy ParkerPsy Changeling series by Nalini SinghYou Made A Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke EmeziA Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia WilliamsWhat I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne LongYA:Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door, and Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins, plus her upcoming adult romance debut Overdue (October)The Wallflower series by Lisa KleypasRomantasy: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Taahir, The Star Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi, Radiance by Grace DravenJessica's Romance/Romantasy Recs:Anything by:Naina KumarAli HazelsoodNisha SharmaEhi OkosunNiWe'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Read, Review, and Recommend! These are the suggestions by today's guest, children's book author, Rob Sanders, about how to support writers of challenged and banned books. Join us for this delightful conversation about the cutest book we will ever feature on this show, Book Comes Home: A Banned Book Journey--Rob's most recent book that had us reminiscing about our own dearly beloved childhood favorites--as well as Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag, which remains one of the most banned children's book in the US. Make sure to check out Rob's recommendations for organizations he loves below!Join the conversation on Substack! If you'd prefer to be a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau. If you have questions for us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support our podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jillian Benedict is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Join us in two weeks as Jessica discusses A Court of Thorn and Roses with special guest, Alyssa Morris (May 6)!Episode 5 links:Rob Sanders's websiteBook Comes HomePride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow FlagPride and Less Prejudice, which provides LGBTQ-inclusive books to Pre-K through 3rd grade classrooms to help students and teachers “Read out loud, read out proud!”Florida Freedom to Read Project: defending every student’s right to access information and ideas while at school.We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Is this the funniest episode about The Satanic Verses ever recorded? We like to think so! Join us as Christine and Jessica finish their discussion on this controversial book. Jessica loved it, Christine not so much, but they both found it deeply relevant to our current day. Join the conversation on Substack! If you'd prefer to be a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau. If you have questions for us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support our podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jillian Benedict is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Episode 4 Links:"The Satanic Verses," Brittanica"A tsunami of outrage: Salman Rushdie and The Satanic Verses," The Guardian, August 2022"What is a fatwa and why did Iran issue one against Salman Rushdie for The Satanic Verses in 1989?" The Independent, April 2024"New Jersey man is convicted of attempted murder in the stabbing of Salman Rushdie," Associated Press, February 2025“The Salman Rushdie Affair: Apostasy, Honor, and Freedom of Speech," M.M. Slaughter,Virginia Law Review, vol. 79, no. 1, 1993, pp. 153–204. JSTOR.We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Christine and Jessica discuss one of the most controversial books in the world since its publication in 1988. Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses caused an immediate uproar; after the Ayatollah Khomeini declared a fatwa, Rushdie spent ten years in hiding. Even when it was over, he was not safe: a knife-wielding attacker in 2022 stabbed him in the face and neck, resulting in several injuries and the loss of his sight in one eye--that attacker will be sentenced in April. Ever wondered why the book was so controversial and what Rushdie said that was so offensive? Join us for the first of two parts on this fascinating, scandalous book!Join the conversation on Substack! If you'd prefer to be a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau. If you have questions for us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support our podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwalddesigned our logo. Jillian Benedict is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Episode 3 Links:"The Satanic Verses," Brittanica"A tsunami of outrage: Salman Rushdie and The Satanic Verses," The Guardian, August 2022"What is a fatwa and why did Iran issue one against Salman Rushdie for The Satanic Verses in 1989?" The Independent, April 2024"New Jersey man is convicted of attempted murder in the stabbing of Salman Rushdie," Associated Press, February 2025“The Salman Rushdie Affair: Apostasy, Honor, and Freedom of Speech," M.M. Slaughter,Virginia Law Review, vol. 79, no. 1, 1993, pp. 153–204. JSTOR.We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Whew, Christine has THOUGHTS in today's episode as she and Jessica discuss All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson, one of the most frequently banned books in the country. Christine makes the point that, just because a book shouldn't be banned, doesn't mean it shouldn't be critiqued. But what are the boundaries of that criticism, and how do we grapple with those questions in an age of censorship? Please note: this episode uses explicit language in a few instances.Join the conversation on Substack! If you'd prefer to be a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau. If you have questions for us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwalddesigned our logo. Jillian Benedict is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Episode 2 Links:George M. Johnson's websitePublishers Weekly book deal announcement for their forthcoming booksA 2022 NPR piece about the book being bannedWe'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

In the first episode of season 3, Christine and Jessica ask the question that is on everyone's lips: WTF, USA? They look at the state of the country and book banning in these deeply unprecedented times--and still, as always, find both humor and hope.We announced in this episode: you can now find us on Substack too! Sign up to join our community and support our work; you can hear episodes of "The Beautiful and Banned" there (though nothing else will change--we're still on all the same podcast sites). You can support us by pledging to "The Injustice Report," where we're including the podcast as part of Jessica's relaunched newsletter that delivers "reporting that bends the arc of justice." If you'd prefer to be a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau. If you have questions for us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwalddesigned our logo. Jillian Benedict is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Join us in two weeks as Christine and Jessica discuss All Boys Aren't Blue (March 11).Episode 1 Links:From The Guardian, a look at what PEN America says about this particular momentJanuary 24 notice: U.S. Department of Education Ends Biden’s Book Ban Hoax and a response from The 19th News; ALA's response: "Book bans are real"January 29 Executive Order: “ENDING RADICAL INDOCTRINATION IN K-12 SCHOOLING”Every Library's report on "Legislation of Concern"From Texas Freedom to Read Project's Texas Legislative Session Overview, and Frank Strong's "Anger and Clarity" newsletter: subscribe today!Read Jessica's latest book, We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family's Mythmaking and Migration. We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

In this season finale, Christine and Jessica reflect on the first two seasons of "The Beautiful and Banned" in a year in which book banning has exploded in our country--more than 10,000 books were banned in the last school year alone, up from a record 3,000+ the year before. After two seasons of the podcast, Jessica and Christine talk about what they've learned, four moments that stood out to each of them, what is coming next year, and what brings them hope for the future. You don't want to miss it! "The Beautiful and Banned" will return with Season 3 in early 2025! Stay tuned for more details!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.Read Jessica's latest book, We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family's Mythmaking and Migration. If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwalddesigned our logo. Steph Karpuek is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Episode 14 Links:Frank Strong's "Anger and Clarity" newsletter: subscribe today!"The Threat of Project 2025" (In the episode, Jessica erroneously said Project 2025 was 900 words long--it's 900+ pages long. Words are hard.)We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Christine and Jessica discuss Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. This seminal work explores the idea that we are always connected to our national and familial past--in this case, literally. As they discuss, many of the concepts in The Handmaid's Tale that are apocalyptic possibilities--oppressive treatment of women, forced pregnancies, restricting the right to read and write--are all things that actually happened to Black women in US history. This book (among many others) is a necessary addition to the conversation about preserving the freedom to read for everyone. Plus, this book is just so dang good!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.Read Jessica's latest book, We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family's Mythmaking and Migration. If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwalddesigned our logo. Steph Karpuek is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Join us next week as Christine and Jessica recap the year in the season finale!Episode 13 Links:Bio of Octavia Estelle ButlerBuy Kindred by Octavia Butler"Octavia Butler's Science Fiction Predicted the World We Live In," New York TimesBook banning in prisons, Equal Justice InitiativeJessica's last event of 2024 at BookWoman in Austin, Texas on December 15We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Carolyn Foote, co-founder of Texas FReadom Fighters joins Christine and Jessica in a riveting conversation about the recent history of book banning in the US, and what's about to come. This discussion blew our minds--we understand the outrage, the fear, and the political strategies in totally new ways. Of course it was the experienced librarian who is also a freedom fighter whose words changed our lives! "The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.Read Jessica's latest book, We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family's Mythmaking and Migration. If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwalddesigned our logo. Steph Karpuek is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Join us next week as Christine and Jessica talk about Octavia Butler's Kindred!Episode 12 Links:The Texas FReadom FightersFReadom Fighters Becky Calzada and Carolyn Foote featured in People Magazine as the 2023 Women Changing the WorldThe organizations Carolyn mentioned to support currently: The ACLU, American Library Association, and PEN AmericaAnd don't forget your local libraries--here's a place to find one near youWe'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Jessica and Christine discuss THE HANDMAID'S TALE, a shockingly relevant book for our current political moment. As Margaret Atwood says in her 2017 introduction to the 1985 books, times of political authoritarianism bring out the true believers, sadists, and opportunists, and the "literature of witness" is an important "act of hope." Join in as Christine and Jessica laugh and cry and talk about what is coming next. "The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.Read Jessica's latest book, We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family's Mythmaking and Migration. If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwalddesigned our logo. Steph Karpuek is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Join us next week as Christine and Jessica talk to Carolyn Foote of the Texas FREADom Fighters!Episode 11 links: Margaret Atwood bio on Britannica (Happy 85th birthday, Margaret Atwood!)On The Handmaid's Tale being banned, including a very recent article about it being banned (again) in FloridaAtwood with a flamethrower trying to burn her "unburnable" book"Who's Afraid of The Handmaid's Tale?" in The AtlanticWe'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

GO VOTE! On this Election Day, Christine and Jessica talk about The 1619 Project by focusing on two essays in particular: "Capitalism" by Matthew Desmond and "Politics" by Jamelle Bouie. These essays provide fascinating insights into our current own moment--and the inequality and tensions that were built into our political systems from the very beginning. It's perfect to listen to while you're standing in line to vote today! "The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.Read Jessica's latest book, which she talks about in this episode and which goes well with The 1619 Project, We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family's Mythmaking and Migration. If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwalddesigned our logo. Steph Karpuek is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Join us next week as Christine and Jessica discuss their next book, which will be determined based on what happens this week in our country. Episode 10 links: The 1619 Project, created by Nikole Hannah-Jones and the New York Times MagazineNikole Hannah-JonesThe 1619 Project podcast from the New York TimesThe 1619 Project documentary on HuluThe 1619 Project curriculum from The Pulitzer CenterWe'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

In a continuation of last week's episode, Christine and Jessica discuss THE 1619 PROJECT by Nikole Hannah-Jones, the New York Times Magazine, and others, especially "Democracy" (by Hannah-Jones), "The Creation of Race" (by Dorothy Roberts), and "Sugar" (by Kahlil Gibran Muhammad). They talk about why this book is controversial, what it means for it to be a "new origin story," and the power of fuller narratives being added to our national myths. This book is a rich text--you don't want to miss a minute of this episode!Special thanks to the entire Brooklyn Public Library team for last week's incredible Freedom to Read Rally, but especially Nick Higgins, Robin Lester-Kenton, Eliana Miller, Damaris Olivo, Fritzi Bodenheimer, and Jamar Vailes. "The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.Read Jessica's latest book, which she talks about in this episode and which goes well with The 1619 Project, We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family's Mythmaking and Migration. If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwalddesigned our logo. Steph Karpuek is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Join us next week as Christine and Jessica finish discussing The 1619 Project!*Episode 9 Corrections:Jessica says "the snap and pop" from Legally Blonde, when the move is correctly called "the bend and snap." :)Once when Jessica goes off on the history of racism in America, she says the American Revolution instead of the Civil War.Episode 9 links: The 1619 Project, created by Nikole Hannah-Jones and the New York Times MagazineNikole Hannah-JonesThe 1619 Project podcast from the New York TimesThe 1619 Project documentary on HuluThe 1619 Project curriculum from The Pulitzer CenterOne of Jessica's favorite podcasts about slavery in America: "We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

In this mini-episode, Christine and Jessica have a live conversation at the Brooklyn Public Library's first ever Freedom to Read Rally at the Grand Army Plaza! On October 19, the BPL organized a nationwide rally with more than 200 libraries across the country celebrating our freedom to read. Jessica and Christine talk about The 1619 Project and the importance of allowing people to learn a more complex view of history. When they planned the discussion, they didn't realize that Nikole Hannah-Jones would be opening an exhibit on Tuesday, October 22, at the Brooklyn Public Library to show art from her latest book, The 1619 Project: A Visual Experience, which will be available till November 24, 2024: if you're in Brooklyn, you should go check it out! "The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.Read Jessica's latest book, which she mentions in this episode and which goes well with The 1619 Project, We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family's Mythmaking and Migration. If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwalddesigned our logo. Steph Karpuek is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Join us next week as Christine and Jessica discuss more of The 1619 Project!Episode 8 links: More about the Freedom to Read Day of Action (support these libraries!)The 1619 Project, created by Nikole Hannah-Jones and the New York Times MagazineNikole Hannah-JonesThe 1619 Project: A Visual Experience (the book)The 1619 Project: A Visual Experience (the exhibition at the Brooklyn Public Library)We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

ON SATURDAY, OCT. 19, JOIN CHRISTINE AND JESSICA AT THE BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY! Stay tuned for the end of the episode for all the details about Saturday's "Freedom to Read Day of Action Rally," and see if one of the other 300 events that day throughout the country is happening near you!This episode is a little different: inspired by last week's episode with Courtney Gore, Jessica tells Christine about "The Mind Polluters," a documentary that originally inspired Gore's path to joining the Granbury ISD school board, where she found that there was not, in fact, an insidious plot lurking in public schools threatening kids--and changed her mind. Taking the advice of friend of the pod, Maureen Corrigan, who talked this summer about the value of actually engaging with the things you might disagree with, Jessica learned so much about how we reached the point as a society where "Social and Emotional Learning" is viewed as a dirty word and librarians are being yelled at for being "groomers"--this discussion is a RIDE."The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwalddesigned our logo. Steph Karpuek is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Join us next week as Christine and Jessica read The 1619 Project!Episode 7 links: "The Mind Polluters," by Mark and Amber Archer of Fearless Features (we are not suggesting you watch it, but it's there if you want to see for yourself for $4.99!)Mark Archer's IMDB pageThe actual history of Social and Emotional LearningThe Leader in Me by Stephen Covey (featured in the film)Information about Alfred Kinsey (featured in the film)Further reading about sowing distrust in public schools from ProPublicaWe'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

THIS EPISODE, y'all. Christine and Jessica have an absolutely fascinating conversation with Courtney Gore, a school board member from Granbury ISD. Courtney ran on a campaign to change what was happening in public schools because she'd heard that there were groups actively trying to sexualize children, particularly through the "Social and Emotional Learning" (or SEL) curriculum. When she was elected, she asked to see all of the curriculum for the schools in her district and read it all. And then--she changed her mind. She realized the goal of the books and class lessons was to teach kids to be kinder, more welcoming people. She decided to share the good news publicly with her community that the agenda she'd been told was targeting kids did not exist in the Granbury schools--only to receive death threats. What happened next, and what she learned about WHY books are being banned and schools are being targeted, is just stunning. You won't want to miss a minute of this one! "The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwalddesigned our logo. Steph Karpuek is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Join us next week as Christine and Jessica dig into many of the things they learned in this conversation, including watching The Mind Polluters--the documentary that drove Courtney's campaign (and the work of many other people) in the first place.Episode 6 Links: More about Courtney GoreIn late 2021/early 2022, Granbury administrators pulled more than 100 library books off the shelves; the superintendent told librarians that knew many of the books did not talk about sex but did have LGBTQ themes.The May 2024 ProPublica feature about Gore: "She Campaigned for a Texas School Board Seat as a GOP Hard-Liner. Now She’s Rejecting Her Party’s Extremism."We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Christine tells Jessica about Fahrenheit 451 the Musical...oh, wait, no, that's just what she invented on the spot. This is about the 1953 novel by Ray Bradbury, a staple of high school and college classrooms that  eerily predicts our own ban-happy, screen-happy times. Come for the discussion of one of a canonical banned book, stay for Christine's extemporaneous show tunes--the musical idea is actually pretty great! And special thanks to friend of the podcast, Keenya, for our first listener question! You can join the conversation for free on Patreon, or support our work for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Steph Karpuek is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Join us next week as Christine and Jessica have a fascinating discussion with Courtney Gore from Granbury ISD--here's a sneak peek in the ProPublica feature about her, "She Campaigned for a Texas School Board Seat as a GOP Hard-Liner. Now She’s Rejecting Her Party’s Extremism."Episode 5 Links: More about Ray BradburyMore about Fahrenheit 451More about the Bal-Hi editionBuy a copy of the novel about the Book People from...BookPeople.We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Jessica interviews Charley Rejsek, the CEO of BookPeople, the largest independent bookstore in Texas (and Jessica's hometown bookstore in Austin). This incredible conversation sheds light on what is happening in Texas, which is, in many ways, the epicenter of the fight for the freedom to read. Recent legislation in Texas demands that bookstores--already operating on razor thin margins--do the work of identifying books that politicians deem 'problematic' for schools. If this legislation is allowed to stand in Texas (and many other places where similar legislation is pending or planned), it could be the end of bookstores as we know it. Which is where Charley and others like her come in--through a courageous lawsuit that has paused the law for now, Charley and others are standing in the gap fighting for the freedom to read. Especially during National Banned Books week, this is a conversation you don't want to miss! "The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Steph Karpuek is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Join us next week as Christine tells Jessica about Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury!Episode 4 Links: Buy a banned book from BookPeopleThe history of BookPeopleMore about HB 900 in TexasBookPeople's HB 900 information pageWe'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

In Episode 3, Jessica tells Christine about Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo. This fast-paced book--which shows "what life might have been like for a queer Asian American girl who dreamed of rocket ships, growing up in the 1950s"--is a coming-of-age narrative with a love story. However, it's also a deeply poignant book that tells a story that is all too familiar: how a queer young person has to find hope in the midst of a complicated relationship with her family. Christine and Jessica have a poignant discussion about love, culture, families, and hope in the future for young people who might not always feel hope today.(Special note: if you need support or to connect with resources, please reach out to us via the  "Contact Us" page on our website or @beautifulandbannedpod DM, and we will try to connect you to the right people. If your life is in danger, please speak to trustworthy adults in your life or call 911 immediately.)"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Steph Karpuek is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Join us next week as Jessica interviews Charley Rejsek, the CEO of BookPeople, in an incredible, inspirational interview for National Banned Books Week!Episode 3 Links: Malinda Lo's websiteAn excellent interview with Lo for Lambda LiteraryBritannica on McCarthyismTime on the Lavender ScareJessica's knowledge about the history of immigration comes from her research for her first book, After the Last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in AmericaWe'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Christine is joined by special guest, actor Kelly AuCoin, who plays "Dollar" Bill Sterns on Billions and Pastor Tim on The Americans (among many other roles!). They discuss "Life of Brian," the 1979 Monty Python sensation that was banned instantly for its irreverence and satire. This dark comedy still speaks incredibly well to our own particular age, and Christine and Kelly analyze the legacy of the film then and now--and do a lot of British impressions.If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Steph Karpuek is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Join us next week as Christine and Jessica discuss Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo! Make sure you watch our Instagram account for more updates!Links for Episode 2:Kelly Aucoin's websiteFind out more about the incredible nonprofit, KultureCity, that Kelly's on the board ofInfo on Monty Python's "Life of Brian" Mary Whitehouse's background infoA great behind-the-scenes documentary, "The Secret Life of Brian"We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Send us a textIn Episode 1 of Season 2, Christine and Jessica discuss I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. This book has been deeply influential in Jessica's life since her 10th grade teacher, Ms. Snow, gave her a copy of the book. Christine--a longtime fan of Angelou's "Phenomenal Woman" and other poems--reads the book for the first time. Join us as we dive deep into one of the most important works of the last century, written by one of the greatest writers of our lifetime. If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Steph Karpuek is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Join us next week as Christine discusses Monty Python’s "The Life of Brian" with special guest Kelly AuCoin from Billions! Make sure you watch our Instagram account for more updates! Links for Episode 1:Link to I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya AngelouSoundcloud of Angelou talking about her name (her voice is incredible!)Angelou's bioObituary of Robert Loomis, Angelou's longtime editor Interview of Angelou talking about her "souped-up bus"New African article about Angelou, "the most banned author in the US"History.com article about mailing actual children through the post office in the 1930sWe'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

In this special bonus episode, Christine and Jessica recorded a conversation with NPR's Maureen Corrigan live at Wilkes University! Listen in to this incredible, wide-ranging conversation as Maureen--who recorded a Great Course about banned books throughout history--shares her vast knowledge with Christine, Jessica, and their audience.COMING SOON: Season 2 launches in THREE WEEKS, on September 3!As we're busy reading and prepping for our next season, we could use your help more than ever. If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwalddesigned our logo. Jackson Rodriguez is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Special thanks this episode to Wilkes University, especially David Hicks, Patti Naumann, Dawn Leas, and Lee Michaels. Thanks also to Julie Sidoni and WVIA News for their coverage of the event. Links for this Bonus Episode:About Maureen Corrigan"Banned Books, Burned Books: Forbidden Literary Works," by Maureen Corrigan for The Great Courses (a great resource for schools and libraries especially!)1974 Kanawha County, West Virginia battle over booksThomas Morton's New English Canaan: more about it and a link to orderRon Charles's newsletter, "Book Club," for the Washington PostWe'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

In Part 2 of the season finale, Christine and Jessica watch and discuss the second half of Birth of a Nation (screenplay by D.W. Griffith and Frank E. Woods). Part 2 is...well, bonkers doesn't cover it. The racist wheels are OFF! What a way to end the season!Today is release day for Jessica's next book We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family's Mythmaking and Migration! It was selected by the New York Times Book Review as one of their "Summer Nonfiction Picks"!! It had a great review in the New York Times, but our favorite line is from the starred Kirkus review:  "Expect to see bans of this powerful book, one that every Texan should read." If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jackson Rodriguez is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.We'll see you again in August with the launch of season 2! Make sure you watch our Instagram account for more updates! Links for Episode 17:Link to Birth of a Nation on Youtube (it's in the public domain, so anyone can watch for free)What's giving Christine hope right now: "This Scientist Has an Antidote to Our Climate Delusions," an interview in the NYT with  Dr. Ayana Elizabeth JohnsonWhat's giving Jessica hope right now: "Four years later, has the racial-justice movement lost the fight?," a reflection by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunippa onWe'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

In Part 1 of the season finale, Christine and Jessica watch and discuss the first half of Birth of a Nation (screenplay by D.W. Griffith and Frank E. Woods). The movie, which was the catalyst for the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the late 1910s and early 1920s, is groundbreaking technically and cinematically; it is also a deeply offensive propaganda film. It was challenged and banned in eight states after its release. Roger Ebert famously said in his review that Birth of a Nation "is not a bad film because it argues for evil...it is a great film that argues for evil. To understand how it does so is to learn a great deal about film, and even something about evil." Pre-order Jessica's next book We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family's Mythmaking and Migration, coming June 18!If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jackson Rodriguez is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Join us next week for Part 2 of our season finale about Birth of a Nation!Links for Episode 16:Link to Birth of a Nation on Youtube (it's in the public domain, so anyone can watch for free)Link to Roger Ebert's reviewPopular reactions to The Birth of a Nation from the Library of Congress"100 Years Later, What's the Legacy of 'Birth of a Nation'?" NPR, 2015We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Jessica tells Christine about Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, an utterly beautiful graphic memoir about Bechdel's coming of age as a queer artist and the death of her father. The layered narrative is funny, poignant, brilliant, and heartbreaking. It's also one of the few books we've talked about to be challenged or banned at the post-graduate level. Come hear what all the fuss is about with this revolutionary, genre-bending book!Pre-order Jessica's next book We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family's Mythmaking and Migration, coming June 18!If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jackson Rodriguez is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Tune in next week for part one of our season finale about the film The Birth of a Nation!Links for Episode 15:Fun Home by Alison BechdelAlison Bechdel's biographyBechdel's website, "Dykes to Watch Out For"Michael J. Rosenfeld, "Moving a Mountain: The Extraordinary Trajectory of Same-Sex Marriage Approval in the United States"Jürgen Habermas, The Structural Transformation of the Public SphereBenedict Anderson, Imagined CommunitiesWe'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Christine tells Jessica about A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen. The groundbreaking play premiered in 1879, and yet it's shockingly relevant today. Christine goes into the history of the play, the fascinating plot, and her own personal connection with the twists of this devastating story. Preorder Jessica's book, We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family's Mythmaking and Migration, which comes out June 18 with Viking, and come see her on tour!If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jackson Rodriguez is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Tune in next week for our discussion of Fun Home by Alison Bechdel!Links for Episode 14:Buy A Doll's HouseLearn more about Henrik Ibsen's lifeA history of women's rights in the US (yay for credit cards?!?)A history of ender and revolution in EuropeWe'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Jessica tells Christine about The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, and the wild number of rabbit holes she went down in researching this fast-paced, often bonkers thriller: she's never seen so many papyrus-font-fueled conspiracy theories in her life. If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.Pre-order Jessica's next book We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family's Mythmaking and Migration, coming June 18!If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jackson Rodriguez is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Tune in next week for our discussion about THE DAVINCI CODE by Dan Brown!Episode 13 links: Dan Brown's websiteThe Da Vinci Code (if you haven't already picked it up at a little free library or from your grandparents' basement bookshelves)More about Dan Brown's lifeThe truly wild story of Dan Brown's first bookThe lawsuit against Dan Brown's UK publisherThe lawsuit by Dan Brown's ex-wifeAn overview of some of the books written in response to The Da Vinci CodeOne of the many series on the internet "debunking" the book (don't worry, this one does not use papyrus)We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Christine tells Jessica about Brokeback Mountain, the 2005 film based on a short story by Annie Proulx, with a screenplay written by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry. Often reduced to being called the "gay cowboy movie," as Christine tells Jessica, this complex film is actually about societal constraints and battering against cultural boundaries. As always, their conversation turns personal as they explore the boundaries they've faced and how their views have changed in the almost two decades since they first saw the movie in theaters. If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jackson Rodriguez is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Tune in next week for our discussion about THE DAVINCI CODE by Dan Brown!Episode 12 links: Annie Proulx's publishing pageGuardian interview with Proulx, June 5, 2016The IMBD page for Brokeback MountainRoger Ebert's review of Brokeback MountainAng Lee's Academy Awards acceptance speech for Best Director, 2006We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

In this teaser, you can hear the first 18 minutes of the rich conversation we had with Patty McCormick, author of SOLD, about a banned book that had a big impact on her. Tobias Wolff's THIS BOY'S LIFE is consistently one of the most challenged books in the country, and it prompted a rich discussion about life and art and why we write. The full episode is exclusively available to paid subscribers--if you want to hear it, head to Patreon and sign up for the Banned Geeks Book Club, for only $3/month! Thank you so much for your support! "The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jackson Rodriguez is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Tune in next week for our discussion on The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown!Episode 11 links: Patricia McCormick's website, which has pages for each of her booksThis Boy's Life by Tobias WolffWe'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Jessica tells Christine about Sold by Patricia McCormick, a 2006 National Book Award finalist about a young girl who was sex trafficked from Nepal to India. The book, which is told through a series of lyrical vignettes, is beautifully written, and builds empathy in its young readers for children who are forced into difficult situations. And yet, according to the American Library Association, it is currently one of the top ten banned books in the country--and you'll never believe the reason why.BONUS: Next week, with episode 11, we're excited to launch the Banned Geeks Book Club! Every few episodes, we'll feature the author of a banned book talking about another banned book which has influenced them. Full episodes are available exclusively for Patreon subscribers (but you can hear a teaser first, and then sign up to listen to the rest!). Next week, Patricia McCormick joins us to discussThis Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolff, a banned book which has influenced her; the conversation was so  meaningful to us and we're excited to share it with you! If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jackson Rodriguez is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Tune in next week for our discussion with special guest, Patricia McCormick, about This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff!Episode 10 links: Patricia McCormick's website, which has pages for each of her booksHer searing article in the New York Times in 2018, "What Father Bradel Did to Me"Her op-ed about being banned in the New York Times in 2023, "My Book Is Horrifying. My Book Is a Lifeline. My Book Is Banned.""Three Questions for Patricia McCormick about SOLD," Yahoo News, September 2023We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Christine chats with special guest, Lucie Tiberghien, about the works of Molière, who was banned 350+ years ago in France, what he did that got the church in France so angry, and why his work still speaks to us today.You can watch his play, The Miser, at "Molière in the Park" this April and May at Prospect Park in Brooklyn (links below)."The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.You can find out how to support us at our Patreon link. If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jackson Rodriguez is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Tune in next week for our discussion about SOLD by Patricia McCormick!Episode 9 links: A Collection of Molière’s Best PlaysMore information on Molière in the Park FREE tickets to see The Miser in Prospect Park, Brooklyn April 27 - May 19We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Jessica tells Christine about The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman, the remarkable graphic memoir written by the son of Holocaust survivors about his family's experiences, and the shocking reason why it's banned--we couldn't believe it. Come for the deep-dive discussion about stunningly beautiful literature about the most awful parts of human nature; stay for the rabbit hole about Garbage Pail Kids. "The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.You can find out how to support us at our Patreon link. If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jackson Rodriguez is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Tune in next week for our discussion about the banned works of Moliére with Christine and special guest, Lucie Tiberghien!Links to episode 8 quotations and further reading: The Complete Maus by Art SpiegelmanBiography of Art Spiegelman Delightful article about Spiegelman's wife, Françoise MoulySpiegelman on the legacy of Maus"The Inside Story of the Banning of Maus. It's Dumber than You Think," Mother Jones"The Fight Over 'Maus' Is Part of a Bigger Cultural Battle in Tennessee," New York Times A Science article about how parents' trauma is passed down to their children We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Christine tells Jessica about A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and they geek out about Hansberry's genius and the way she manages to write about so many core issues of her time in one single play, which would later be banned."The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.You can find out how to support us at our Patreon link. If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jackson Rodriguez is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Tune in next week for our discussion about Maus by Art Spiegelman!Links to episode 7 quotations and further reading: A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine HansberryThe history of redlining in the USA graphic showing the detailed sections of Chicago undergoing redliningThe Supreme Court case of Hansberry v. LeeThe excellent documentary about redlining and its effects in Texas that Jessica mentioned: "A Legacy Unearthed," produced and directed by Alisha Janette TaylorWe'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Jessica tells Christine about The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie and why it's been one of the top ten most banned books of the last decade, as well as the controversy around the author himself."The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.You can find out how to support us at our Patreon link. If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jackson Rodriguez is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Tune in next week for our discussion about A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry!Links to episode 6 quotations and further reading: Link to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman AlexieAnne Ursu's Medium article about sexual harassment in the children's book industryKelly Jensen's work in Book Riot about sexual harassment in libraries (which inspired Ursu)"'It Just Felt Very Wrong': Sherman Alexie's Accusers Go on the Record," NPR, "All Things Considered, March 5, 2018 (which includes links to Alexie's statement on his website among other links)The three women quoted in the article whose work we want to feature: Jeanine Walker, Erika Wurth, and Elissa Washuta.We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Christine tells Jessica about The Exorcist film (with a screenplay by William Blatty, based on the book by Blatty), including why it was banned, its effects on the audience at the time, and the real life "curses" on the movie set--plus a truly bonkers real-life ghost story!"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.You can find out how to support us at our Patreon link. If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jackson Rodriguez is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Tune in next week for our discussion about The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie!Links to episode 5 quotations and further reading:IMDB for The Exorcist film (1973)The New York Times Review of The Exorcist on its 50th anniversaryThe Exorcist bookBlatty's book on his son’s death and the after life: Finding Peter: A True Story of the Hand of Providence and Evidence of Life After DeathWe'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Jessica and Christine discuss the images and controversial parts of Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe in this second episode of a two-part series; they also lay out the fears and worldviews that are leading to book banning, and what's at stake in these discussions right now. "The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.You can find out how to support us at our Patreon link. If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jackson Rodriguez is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Tune in next week for the second half of our discussion about Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe! Links to episode 4 quotations and further reading:Gender Queer by Maia KobabeFurther reading on the Comstock ActThe Nov. 1, 1970 New York Times review of The Bluest Eye by Haskel FrankelMiller v. California, January 18, 1972, and the definition for "legal obscenity"Further reading about Spivak pronouns (and a great resource for trans and nonbinary teens about other types of pronouns)"High School Librarian: I've Received Death Threats Due to Book Bans," by Elissa Malespina, New Jersey Education Report, May 30, 2023Maia Kobabe's quote in the Texas Tribune, Nov. 2021"Objection to sexual, LGBTQ content propels spike in book challenges," Washington Post, May 23, 2023: "An analysis of book challenges from across the nation shows the majority were filed by just 11 people"Maia Kobabe's resources for "communities facing a book challenge for Gender Queer: A Memoir or other books"We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Jessica tells Christine how Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe came to be the most banned book in the US, in part one of a two-part series. "The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.You can find out how to support us at our Patreon link. If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jackson Rodriguez is the amazing assistant to the podcast. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Tune in next week for the second half of our discussion about Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe! Links to episode 3 quotations and further reading:Gender Queer by Maia KobabeFurther reading on the Comstock ActThe Nov. 1, 1970 New York Times review of The Bluest Eye by Haskel FrankelMiller v. California, January 18, 1972, and the definition for "legal obscenity"Further reading about Spivak pronouns (and a great resource for trans and nonbinary teens about other types of pronouns)Further reading about Waldorf schools2022 Publishers Weekly article about Oni-Lion Forge Publishing"How a Debut Graphic Memoir Became the Most Banned Book in the Country," New York Times, by Alexandra Alter, June 22, 2023We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Christine tells Jessica about the history and reception of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye--still one of the most banned books in the US--in a surprisingly emotional conversation. "The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.You can find out how to support us at our Patreon link. If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.Tune in next week when we discuss Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe! Links to episode 2 quotations and further reading:The Bluest Eye by Toni MorrisonThe Nov. 1, 1970 New York Times review of The Bluest Eye by Haskel Frankel The federal lawsuit filed by Penguin Random House against Escambia County, FL Toni Morrison on language – Toni Morrison’s full Nobel Prize for Literature speechMore about the first Black doll company in the United States and the history of Shindana Toys and Black dollsWe'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Jessica explains to Christine about F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Beautiful and Damned--a book that was not only banned, it gives a fascinating critique of censorship in the 1920s (plus it's where we got the name of our podcast!)."The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Special thanks this episode to Mackenzie Brady Watson, Ruthie Ackerman, Caren George, Mandy Pennington, and Wilkes University.If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!You can also find out how to support us at our Patreon link. If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. Tune in next week when we discuss The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison! This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production. Links to episode 1 quotations and further reading: The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott FitzgeraldPEN America poll about the rise of book bans in 2022-2023NPR/Ipsos poll about public thinking on book banningFurther reading on Anthony ComstockFurther reading on the Comstock ActFurther reading on Jim Crow LawsScholarly quotation from Tanfer Emin Tunc, "This Side of Sexuality: Reproductive Discourse in the Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald." The F. Scott Fitzgerald Review, vol. 13, 2015, p. 184-201. Project MUSE, muse.jhu.edu/article/604457.Special thanks to Beth Widmaier Capo, Matthew Broccoli, Linda C Pelzer, and many others, particularly in the F. Scott Fitzgerald Review, whose scholarship informed our thinking in this episode.We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!

Trailer for "The Beautiful and Banned," a weekly podcast diving into banned books, plays, and films now and throughout history with Christine Renee Miller and Jessica Goudeau. Find out more at beautifulandbannedpod.com. Subscribe now so you don't miss an episode! Episode 1 is coming Tuesday, 2.27.2024.We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text to suggest books, plays, films, or guests, or just share your thoughts!