Banned Library Podcast

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Welcome to the Banned Library Podcast, the podcast that covers books that have been banned or challenged in schools, libraries, countries, and other strange places. Join librarian ST Harker as he reads banned books.

ST Harker


    • Mar 5, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 35m AVG DURATION
    • 225 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Banned Library Podcast

    My Teacher is an Alien by Bruce Coville

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2024 35:18


    The library looks at a pre-YA classic about an alien invasion, talks about our favorite alien invasion movies, and discusses some potential ways to stop aliens in their tracks.

    The Glove by Fritz Leiber

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2023 20:16


    After a neighbor's assault, a young man must wrestle with the supernatural possibilities of a glove the attacker left behind.

    The Island by Alice Brown

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2023 24:56


    A man hears a tale of a shipwreck, a legendary island, and a lost love from a survivor of all three.

    Square of Canvas by Anthony M. Rud

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2023 21:26


    A female art student listens to artist Hal Pemberton tell his life story in an insane asylum.

    square canvas anthony m rud
    Ruby Bridges Goes to School by Ruby Bridges

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2023 20:18


    A little girl did a brave thing, and the world should remember to be kind.

    Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 16, 2022


    Mary kills her husband, and we go through her process.

    Episode 3: Neon Gods and Writing Myth Takes

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2022 39:22


    What would happen if you took the greek myth of Hades and Persephone and made them sex a lot? Neon Gods bursts forth in a spicy story meant for those with little need for plot and big need for sexy brooding waiting around.

    Episode 2: Finna and the Quantum Immortality of Dale

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2022 33:24


    A broken couple battles capitalism through the multiverse while our host talks about how his brother was lost in time and space.Special thanks to @gohomekiki for the recommendation.

    Episode 1: F9 and Granny's Spanish Love

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2022 15:52


    Starting the podcast fresh again, we talk F9: The Fast Saga and my Granny Wendy's lost love in Spain.

    Banned TV - X-Files "Home"

    Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2021


    Mulder and Scully fight the Peacock fam and learn what motherhood is all about. Except really disturbing

    Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2021 40:03


    Mikael and Lisbeth come together to solve a decades old mystery while things get very dark for them.

    Little Bill (series) written by Bill Cosby and Varnette P. Honeywood (illus.)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2021 27:36


    Several lessons are learned including dealing with bullying, losing something you worked hard for, being a good sport, and not being a rapist.

    Hunger Games (2012)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2021 57:38


    When a young girl is picked to fight to the death, she does to the detriment of the crazy dystopian society's leader.

    Big Hard Sex Criminals written by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky (illus)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2021 44:40


    When two people who can stop time after having orgasms start a relationship, things get complicated when they also start robbing banks to save a library.

    Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2021 44:10


    When platonic friends need money, the easiest way to get what everyone wants is to make pornography.

    Sex is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth (illus.)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2021 29:07


    This episode we learn about sex and how people get so weird about their bits and bobs and why that matters.

    Attack of the Vampire Weenies by David Lubar

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2021 33:59


    We're talking short stories with bite that kill little kids in this episode that will make you believe mimes can be vampires.

    attack vampires david lubar
    Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2021 19:35


    This book is just utter nonsense, so I make a bunch of stuff up.

    dr. seuss hop on pop
    Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2021 54:03


    A whole country hated this movie that Hard Rock Cafe strangely supported, a movie about spies fighting for drug use.

    The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2021 21:27


    A kid loves this tree and the tree loves the kid back. Then the kid grows up, and the tree gets hacked to pieces.

    The Sissy Duckling by Harvey Fierstein and Henry Cole (Illus.)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2021 20:37


    A small duck named Elmer does not fit in until a killing spree shows how special he really is.

    Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd (illus.)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2021 29:56


    A rabbit says goodnight and outlasts the librarian who hated it.

    Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr and Eric Carle (illus.)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2021 28:07


    We learn colors and animals and that Texas looks before they leap unless by reading this book you are an activated sleeper agent.

    Bad Kitty for President by Nick Bruel

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2020 18:01


    Bad Kitty runs for neighborhood president and learns a lot along the way including some ways to not say swear words.

    bad kitty nick bruel
    Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack and Stevie Lewis (illus.)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2020 25:13


    A story of a brutal monarch who kills a dragon, but is also a very sweet LGBT+ love story.

    Skippyjon Jones series by Judy Schachner

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2020


    A small cat decides he is a Mexican superhero and kills a bumblebee.

    mexican skippyjon jones judy schachner
    A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Marlon Bundo and Jill Twiss, EG Keller (illus.)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2020 43:44


    Marlon Bundo, the BOTUS, lives a lonely life until he meets Wesley. Can their love remain when the stink bug decides same sex marriage is still allowed?

    How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2020 52:18


    When a boy is bet he can't eat worms, he does despite his friends not being his friends through the pure evil that is the male ego.

    rockwell eat fried worms
    Call to Adventure

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2020 12:47


    A wizard with a sword rides into town to find the chosen one.

    Moving Baggage by ST Harker

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 8, 2020 14:12


    An abandoned bag on a runway causes distress for several airplane passengers.

    This Day in June by Gayle E Pitman and Kristyna Litten

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2019


    It's a parade in June that celebrates a great subculture as well as provides amazing information! Plus a pigeon.

    Scarlet Street (1945)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2019 27:57


    When a painter gets involved with some criminals, things take a super dark turn in this gritty noir.

    scarlet street
    Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2019 26:09


    A movie so funny they banned it in Norway, we're covering the life story of a man who got super killed.

    Dirty Harry (1971)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2019 39:44


    There's a crazy madman running around San Francisco, and he's chasing a serial killer.

    Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2019 34:14


    For Banned Books Week 2019, we revisit a story of a deranged relationship born from the world of fanfiction and now a multimillion dollar movie.

    The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2019 23:57


    A miserly couple has a run in with a man in the woods with an ax and it goes about like you would expect.

    Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2019 27:42


    A collection of tales about humans making it to Mars and being pretty disappointed for the most part.

    Color Out of Space by HP Lovecraft

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2019 26:43


    A surveyor hears the story of a meteor blighting the land of a small New England farm and destroying a family.

    Guts by Chuck Palahniuk

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2019 25:34


    A young man tells us all about his adventure in a swimming pool.

    I Saw Esau by Iona and Peter Opie

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2019 31:00


    What happens when some folklorists gather together all the children's rhymes and have them illustrated by a master children's illustrator?

    The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2019 32:54


    A woman told to rest for her own good goes slowly insane in a room with yellow wallpaper… or does she? She totally does.

    The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 6, 2019 36:56


    David did a bad thing and gets cursed by an old lady while figuring out who his friends are and what middle fingers are for.

    The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2019 28:30


    We follow the ups and downs and rapes of a Chilean family for several mystical generations.

    Grendel by John Gardner

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2019 37:26


    We learn that a monster known to be a crazy bloodthirsty tornado of violence is really just a bit of a thinker. With claws.

    Voicemails (2019)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2019 20:05


    A librarian gets in trouble when he agrees to transcribe the voicemails of an older patron.

    Shade's Children by Garth Nix

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2019 40:13


    When all the adults have vanished and overlords have taken over, a bunch of superpowered kids have sex and save the planet.

    Friday Night Lights by H. G. Bissinger

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2019 18:05


    A not-so-banned book describing a town obsessed with high school football.

    Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2019 22:51


    A young girl befriends wolves and makes her way across the tundra looking for where she belongs.

    Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2019 28:42


    Moby navigates water and religion and abortion and all kinds of difficult topics that are way worse than the language for which it was challenged.

    staying moby byrnes chris crutcher
    So Far From the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins

    Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2019 40:02


    An autobiographical tale of a young Japanese girl and her family escaping Korea and surviving after World War II.

    The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2019 35:16


    A young girl in Holland spends two years in an upstairs room hiding from Nazis during World War II.

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