The Banned Book Barricade

This week we explore one of the books that inspired Margaret Atwood to write The Handmaid's Tale.

1984 by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about a future where the government controls every aspect of people's lives. The book was written as a warning against totalitarianism and the dangers of giving governments too much power.

It's banned everywhere but why? With how important it is, let's discuss

Sources:

1984 by George Orwell

https://global.penguinrandomhouse.com/announcements/margaret-atwood-prh-fight-censorship-with-an-unburnable-edition-of-the-handmaids-tale/

https://lithub.com/75-years-of-1984-why-george-orwells-classic-remains-more-relevant-than-ever/

https://flibos.com/articles/impact-legacy-george-orwell/

https://www.theclassicpages.com/why-1984-by-george-orwell-remains-relevant-today/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-does-george-orwells-1984-mean-in-2024-180984468/

This episode is a bit more of a ranty conversation among friends due to the ongoing harsh circumstances many women are in today and this is kind of our attempt to cope with that.

This week we discuss The Handmaid's Tale and the ongoing connections it has with past world events as well as events going on today.

I may redo the handmaid's tale in another episode to go into more depth further down the line

This week we discuss The Diary of Anne Frank and not only it's banning but also the profound effect this book has on the world. So profound it's easy to see why this kind of ban is bullshit.

As always resources used in this episode are:

The Diary of Anne Frank

https://www.adl.org/resources/article/stew-peters-five-things-know

https://www.annefrank.org/en/about-us/news-and-press/news/2023/9/21/banning-anne-frank-graphic-adaption-texas/#:~:text=This%20is%20not%20Anne%20Frank's,about%20her%20sexuality%20are%20offensive.

https://study.com/academy/lesson/why-was-the-diary-of-anne-frank-banned.html#:~:text=companion%2C%20her%20diary.-,Banned%20or%20Censored,removed%20from%20schools%20or%20libraries.

https://www.annefrank.org/en/anne-frank/go-in-depth/german-invasion-netherlands/#:~:text=Germany%20invades%20the%20Netherlands,Jordaan.

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-netherlands#:~:text=Germany%20invaded%20the%20Netherlands%20on,German%20industry%20in%20the%20Ruhr.

https://www.annefrank.org/en/timeline/17/anne-and-margot-die-exhausted-in-the-bergen-belsen-concentration-camp/#:~:text=In%20late%201944%2C%20Anne%20and,she%20had%20known%20in%20Amsterdam.

An avid reader all my life, I've realized I don't talk about banned books often enough. In this first episode, we discuss Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and why banning this book is bullshit.

Resources used in this episode:

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

https://pen.org/laurie-halse-anderson-speaking-for-the-voiceless/

https://library.uwsuper.edu/blog/Speak

https://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/speak/