Banned Book Club

A double dip fight club episode about the unfortunate differences between the movie and its source material. In this episode Rafi is replaced by Thomas, who is a person that knows much about movies. We discuss David Fincher, China, Paradise Lost, A Clockwork Orange, and sigma males — all within the context of Fight Club. Hold on to your fedora as we sail into the abyss.Every sale supports local bookstores. Bookshop is on a mission to financially support your local, independent bookstores. Socially Conscious. Fast Shipping. Huge Selection.https://bookshop.org/shop/bannedbookclubIf you liked or didn't like this episode, let us know.Leave us a comment and subscribe to our channel!BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpodFollow us on Facebook: @bannedbookclubpodEmail us at info@bannedbookclubpodcast.com

In this episode, we discuss one of the most iconic and thought-provoking novels of the 20th century. "Fight Club" follows an unnamed narrator as he struggles with insomnia and an unfulfilling job, eventually leading him to create an underground club where men can gather to fight.Palahniuk explores themes of masculinity, consumerism, and the search for identity in a society that often feels hollow and oppressive. Join us as we break the main rule of Fight Club… talking about Fight Club.Timestamps0:00 Introduction/Nick’s thoughts6:50 About the Author/The film 8:30 Why is it banned?9:30 Plot (containing spoilers)14:00 Human Angst 17:00 Main message of novel/Toxic Masculinity 20:45 Favorite scene/ Contradictions in the book 27:20 Marla’s Character 30:00 Is this a story men should be inspired by?38:40 The sigma male grindset 43:10 The style of Fight Club 46:15 Closing/Final thoughtsEvery sale supports local bookstores. Bookshop is on a mission to financially support your local, independent bookstores. Socially Conscious. Fast Shipping. Huge Selection.https://bookshop.org/shop/bannedbookclubIf you liked or didn't like this episode, let us know.Leave us a comment and subscribe to our channel!BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpodFollow us on Facebook: @bannedbookclubpodEmail us at info@bannedbookclubpodcast.com

In this episode, we discuss Atomised by Michel Houellebecq, who’s been called among other things — France’s greatest literary export, Enfant terrible, provocateur, and a jerk. The story follows half brothers Michel and Bruno, whose lives are sent on painful and seemingly dissimilar trajectories as consequence of their hippie mother’s neoliberal ideology. The book goes on to chart the evolution and spread of neoliberalism in western society, using the lives of Bruno and Michel to illustrate the conditions it creates for modern life — in which (Houellebecq argues) things like living and loving are rendered impossible. Doesn’t that sound fun!? Come join us and make up your own mind — Is Houellebecq onto something here? Or is he just a cranky incel?Every sale supports local bookstores. Bookshop is on a mission to financially support your local, independent bookstores. Socially Conscious. Fast Shipping. Huge Selection.https://bookshop.org/shop/bannedbookclubIf you liked or didn't like this episode, let us know.Leave us a comment and subscribe to our channel!BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpodFollow us on Facebook: @bannedbookclubpodEmail us at info@bannedbookclubpodcast.com

In this spooky halloween episode we review “The Hellbound Heart”, a 1980’s horror novella by Clive Barker. Barker is a banned author/painter/playwright, who’s been described by Stephen King as “the future of horror”. The Hellbound Heart makes it plain to see why — rendering demons, killers, and the prospect of unending torture in a terrifyingly vivid light. When Frank, a suave hedonist - opens the cursed Lemarchand configuration, he’s transported to a world where one experiences pain to a point that they can no longer differentiate it from pleasure. But after Frank manages to escape back to earth, its up to a young girl named Kirsty to confront him and the demons he’s pursued by. Join us as we explore the further regions of experience in this novella, and discuss what elevates it above typical genre horror. Happy Halloween!0:00 Intro1:25 What the novel is actually about4:35 Characters in the novel8:00 Who is the most evil character in the novel?10:30 Does the novel earn its violence?/The language of the novel15:32 Can this novel have an impact on someone who doesn’t believe in hell?19:40 Stephen King vs Clive Barker 21:45 Hellraiser movies compared to The Hellbound Heart 23:00 OutroEvery sale supports local bookstores. Bookshop is on a mission to financially support your local, independent bookstores. Socially Conscious. Fast Shipping. Huge Selection.https://bookshop.org/shop/bannedbookclubIf you liked or didn't like this episode, let us know.Leave us a comment and subscribe to our channel!BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpodFollow us on Facebook: @bannedbookclubpodEmail us at info@bannedbookclubpodcast.com

 In this episode, we review “Madame Bovary” by Gustave Flaubert. Published in 1856 - the novel was deemed a threat to morality and caused Flaubert to face charges in the French court - because of the searingly detailed account it gives of protagonist Emma Bovary’s romantic affairs. But the book is anything but romantic - widely considered to be the first ‘modern novel’- Madame Bovary ushered in a new era in fiction by handling its controversial subject matter with a camera like neutrality. The infrequent good, the overwhelmingly banal, and the repulsively ugly details of life are on full display here, - presented in a distanced ‘coolness’ that shaped the mold for modern fiction. Join us as we discuss one of the most influential banned books in history.Links:Atlantic Article on Flaubert:https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1882/08/a-note-on-flaubert/633293/James Woods - How Fiction Workshttps://slate.com/culture/2008/07/james-wood-s-how-fiction-works.htmlIt’s Too Late to Apologize - Book Review on Madame Bovary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNZCSodyvQQ&ab_channel=It%27sTooLatetoApologizeA note on Flauberthttps://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1882/08/a-note-on-flaubert/633293/0:00 Intro3:10 About the Novel 7:10 Why it’s banned/style of writing9:10 Who is Emma Bovary?13:10 Gustave Flaubert’s Realism/ Style of Writing 22:10 More on realism/Best scenes 27:30 Message of the novel 31:50 Analysis of Emma Bovary 36:20 Charles Bovary / Leon & Rodolphe 43:00 Final ThoughtsEvery sale supports local bookstores. Bookshop is on a mission to financially support your local, independent bookstores. Socially Conscious. Fast Shipping. Huge Selection.https://bookshop.org/shop/bannedbookclubIf you liked or didn't like this episode, let us know.Leave us a comment and subscribe to our channel!BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpodFollow us on Facebook: @bannedbookclubpodEmail us at info@bannedbookclubpodcast.com

This episode centers around “Factotum”, written by the infamous and widely imitated Charles Bukowski. As the name implies, Factotum tells the story of a worker’s life, but Henry Chinaski (Bukowski’s self inspired antihero) is not your average worker— unless your idea of an average worker is someone who constantly drinks, fights, philanders, and writes poetry. Join us as we discuss Bukowski’s unique philosophy on work, women, and a system that’s apparently designed to keep the little guy down.Every sale supports local bookstores. Bookshop is on a mission to financially support your local, independent bookstores. Socially Conscious. Fast Shipping. Huge Selection.https://bookshop.org/shop/bannedbookclubIf you liked or didn't like this episode, let us know.Leave us a comment and subscribe to our channel!BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpodFollow us on Facebook: @bannedbookclubpodEmail us at info@bannedbookclubpodcast.com

In this episode, we explore the expanded fictionalized version of Jesus’ life in Nikos Kazantakis “The Last Temptation of Christ”. This story follows the Bible loosely, using Kazantakis thoughts on what Christ must’ve felt before being crucified. It focuses mainly on his struggles of being human in every sense of the word dealing with earthly temptations such as fear, doubt, lust, violence, and reluctance. We explore this banned novel and decide whether or not it is as blasphemous as the Catholic and Greek Orthodox Church claimed it to be. Every sale supports local bookstores. Bookshop is on a mission to financially support your local, independent bookstores. Socially Conscious. Fast Shipping. Huge Selection.https://bookshop.org/shop/bannedbookclubIf you liked or didn't like this episode, let us know.Leave us a comment and subscribe to our channel!BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpodFollow us on Facebook: @bannedbookclubpodEmail us at info@bannedbookclubpodcast.com

In this episode, Nick takes you through Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Indian Camp” and explains how it can make you a better writer. The deceptively simple story embodies Hemingway’s iceberg theory - the idea that the weight of a good sentence lies under its surface. Indian camp explores themes like death, birth, maturity, and relationships, - getting great mileage out of very few words.If you liked or didn't like this episode, let us know.Leave us a comment and subscribe to our channel!BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpodFollow us on Facebook: @bannedbookclubpodEmail us at info@bannedbookclubpodcast.com

Get "Banned Book Club" by clicking the link below and support local book stores.https://bookshop.org/a/57229/9781945820427In this episode we're joined by Ryan Estrada - author of the Eisner nominated graphic novel “Banned Book Club” -Not a typo - the book just happens to have the same name as our channel. It also happens to be an exciting and timely book, exploring the dangers of censorship through the eyes of a young girl living under an oppressive political regime in Korea. We talk with Ryan about his story, censorship, and the recent controversy with Maus.Every sale supports local bookstores. Bookshop is on a mission to financially support your local, independent bookstores. Socially Conscious. Fast Shipping. Huge Selection.https://bookshop.org/shop/bannedbookclubIf you liked or didn't like this episode, let us know.Leave us a comment and subscribe to our channel!BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpodFollow us on Facebook: @bannedbookclubpodEmail us at info@bannedbookclubpodcast.com

Get "Tropic Of Cancer" by clicking the link below and support local book stores.https://bookshop.org/a/57229/9780802131782In this episode we tackle probably the most banned of the banned books we've covered so far - Henry Miller's infamous "Tropic of Cancer". It literally got people sent to jail. This one breaks every rule of polite society, and also every rule in the fiction writing handbook; no plot, no structure, mountains of adjectives, pages long plunges into intangibles, and overall vulgar self indulgence. But that’s kind of the point. Join us and find out why, despite all that, TOC remains in so many 'top 100 books of all time' lists.1:30 Intro3:35 About the Author & Novel 5:15 Why it’s banned 6:30 Who really is Arthur Miller?9:10 Rafaella’s review 13:00 Nick’s Review / The writing style of Miller 16:00 Arthur Rimbaud, Apollo, and Dionysus17:15 Nietzche on artistic frenzy 20:15 Does this novel work in this style? 20:35 Midroll22:40 Bukowski vs. Miller 24:10 Stream of consciousness vs simple writing 27:15 Reinventing the self29:30 Why it’s important to read Tropic of Cancer30:22 Was Henry Miller truly free? 32:13 OutroEvery sale supports local bookstores. Bookshop is on a mission to financially support your local, independent bookstores. Socially Conscious. Fast Shipping. Huge Selection.https://bookshop.org/shop/bannedbookclubIf you liked or didn't like this episode, let us know.Leave us a comment and subscribe to our channel!BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpodFollow us on Facebook: @bannedbookclubpodEmail us at info@bannedbookclubpodcast.com

Get "MAUS" by clicking the link below and support local book stores.https://bookshop.org/a/57229/9780679406419In this episode we examine ‘Maus’, the recently banned Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novel by Art Spiegelman. It tells the story of a son trying to reconnect with his father while the shadow of the Holocaust looms heavily in the background. By not hammering the inherent emotion of source material, ‘Maus’ inavedertantly becomes the most heart rending depiction of the Holocaust we’ve seen. Join us as we explore Speigelman’s masterpiece, and try to understand the reasons for it baffling ban.0:58 Intro2:12 Synopsis 4:05 Why it got banned5:30 The style of the novel8:00 What the story is ACTUALLY about 10:10 The many layers of Maus 10:27 Midroll12:50 The relationship between Vladek and Art 15:20 Art Spiegelman’s Experience writing Maus18:00 People’s misinterpretation of Maus 20:05 Why Maus should be part of school curriculum 21:30 The importance of reading banned books23:11 Outro Every sale supports local bookstores. Bookshop is on a mission to financially support your local, independent bookstores. Socially Conscious. Fast Shipping. Huge Selection.https://bookshop.org/shop/bannedbookclubIf you liked or didn't like this episode, let us know.Leave us a comment and subscribe to our channel!BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpodFollow us on Facebook: @bannedbookclubpodEmail us at info@bannedbookclubpodcast.com

Get "The Stranger" by clicking the link below and support local book stores.https://bookshop.org/a/57229/9780679720201In this episode we investigate “The Stranger” - Albert Camus’ most famous and most controversial novel. The story, really a prolonged meditation on the death of meaning — follows Mersault - an unassuming businessman who’s passivity knows no bounds. But his apathetic approach to life quickly takes him to the edge of the law, of common morality, and of the society he’s born into; culminating in a murder trial that he’s destined to lose. Join us as we try to understand Mersault, and all the “isms” that this novel made famous - existentialism, moral relativism, nihilism, absurdism. It might be the case that these “isms” have shaped the default way most of us see the world today. Don’t underestimate the influence of banned books.1:50 Intro2:50 Why this novel is important4:50 About Albert Camus8:50 About the novel / Meursault 12:15 Why its banned13:30 Camus’ style17:52 Absurdism explained18:11 Midroll20:15 Camus’ relationship with God23:00 Did Meursault feel remorse for what he had done?26:15 The motif of heat/the sun32:12 Is there meaning to life or is life truly absurd?39:05 Morality, Ethics, and Truth 41:40 Final Thoughts42:43 OutroEvery sale supports local bookstores. Bookshop is on a mission to financially support your local, independent bookstores. Socially Conscious. Fast Shipping. Huge Selection.https://bookshop.org/shop/bannedbookclubIf you liked or didn't like this episode, let us know.Leave us a comment and subscribe to our channel!BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpodFollow us on Facebook: @bannedbookclubpodEmail us at info@bannedbookclubpodcast.com

Get "The Inferno" by clicking the link below and support local book stores.https://bookshop.org/a/57229/9780451531391In this episode we cover "The Inferno" by Dante Alighieri; inestimably influential, highly controversial since its release in the 1400’s . . . it is after all about Hell, hell with a capital H. This first segment of the three part "comedia" follows Dante and his poetic guide, Virgil —through the nine circles of hell. Each circle corresponds to a particular sin, and gets progressively more horrifying down to the 9th circle where Dante encounters satan himself, frozen in a lake of ice. Join us as we examine this masterpiece allegory of human dysfunction, and try to make sense of these words — "the path to paradise begins in hell"Every sale supports local bookstores. Bookshop is on a mission to financially support your local, independent bookstores. Socially Conscious. Fast Shipping. Huge Selection.https://bookshop.org/shop/bannedbookclubIf you liked or didn't like this episode, let us know.Leave us a comment and subscribe to our channel!BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpodFollow us on Facebook: @bannedbookclubpodEmail us at info@bannedbookclubpodcast.com

Get "The Hobbit" by clicking the link below and support local book stores.https://bookshop.org/a/57229/97805479...In this episode we investigate the grandfather of modern fantasy literature, J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”— probably the most wholesome banned book we’ve covered! The story follows Bilbo, who’s convinced by a wizard to leave the sheltered comfort of his “hobbit hole” and reclaim a treasure guarded by the great dragon Smaug. Is this simply another rote exercise of “the hero’s journey”? Or has Tolkien’s epic transcend itself? —Does the cultural response to this myth point to some greater truth? Every sale supports local bookstores. Bookshop is on a mission to financially support your local, independent bookstores. Socially Conscious. Fast Shipping. Huge Selection.https://bookshop.org/shop/bannedbookclubIf you liked or didn't like this episode, let us know.Leave us a comment and subscribe to our channel!BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpodFollow us on Facebook: @bannedbookclubpodEmail us at info@bannedbookclubpodcast.com

Get "American Psycho" by clicking the link below and support local book stores.https://bookshop.org/a/57229/9780679735779In this episode we ‘dissect’ American Psycho, a divisive novel from one of America’s most transgressive authors - Brett Easton Ellis. Set in the era of 80’s excess, Psycho follows Patrick Bateman - a young high-powered business man who also happens to be a deranged serial murderer. This novel ignores plot and narrative structure in favor of aesthetics and social commentary. But does it rise above its own desire to shock and deliver something worthwhile? The answer will depend on your capacity for abyss staring.0:00 - Intro2:20 - Plot3:15 - Who is Patrick Bateman 4:30 - Why it’s banned6:50 - The importance of Phil Collins/music in the novel 9:50 - American Consumerism11:25 - Why this is a great satire 14:05 - What is this book trying to warn us about?21:08 - Did the book earn its violence?31:15 - Mid roll31:30 - Did the murders actually happen?34:40 - Jean & Evelyn 36:55 - is the novel misogynistic?38:52 - Cynicism/Nihilism in the novel 44:00 - Idolizing Psychos 46:36 - Final thoughtsEvery sale supports local bookstores. Bookshop is on a mission to financially support your local, independent bookstores. Socially Conscious. Fast Shipping. Huge Selection.https://bookshop.org/shop/bannedbookclubIf you liked or didn't like this episode, let us know.Leave us a comment and subscribe to our channel!BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpodFollow us on Facebook: @bannedbookclubpodEmail us at info@bannedbookclubpodcast.com

Get "Dune" by clicking the link below and support local book stores.https://bookshop.org/a/57229/9780441013593This episode covers Frank Herbert’s “Dune”, the seminal sci-fi novel that inspired Star Wars and shaped the genre as we know it today. Dune follows young Paul Atreides as he ascends from destitution to the galactic throne. To do this he must navigate the hostile desert environment of Arrakis, as well as a precarious political landscape of feudal houses vying for control of the “spice” found on the planet. This is a classic hero’s journey set in an expertly detailed world, but does Dune subvert its sci-fi conventions and move readers towards something greater? Does it even need to?If you liked or didn't like this episode, let us know.Leave us a comment and subscribe to our channel!BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpodFollow us on Facebook: @bannedbookclubpodEmail us at info@bannedbookclubpodcast.com

Get "Lolita" by clicking the link bellow and support local book stores.https://bookshop.org/a/57229/9780679723165In this episode, we cover Vladimir Nabokov's infamous novel “Lolita”. According to Vanity Fair, this book is considered to be “the only convincing love story of this century.” The novel is famous for its controversial subject: pedophilia. Humbert Humbert, the novel’s unreliable narrator and protagonist is obsessed with nymphets - specifically 12-year-old Dolores Haze, whom he nicknames Lolita. Join us as we discuss the importance of this novel and why you shouldn’t turn your nose up at it just because of its delicate plot.Every sale supports local bookstores. Bookshop is on a mission to financially support your local, independent bookstores. Socially Conscious. Fast Shipping. Huge Selection.https://bookshop.org/shop/bannedbookclubIf you liked or didn't like this episode, let us know.Leave us a comment and subscribe to our channel!BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpodFollow us on Facebook: @bannedbookclubpodEmail us at info@bannedbookclubpodcast.com

In this episode we discuss “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, which tells the story of American literature’s most famous unreliable narrator Holden Caulfield. Is Holden just a whiny teenager? Or is he one of the most brilliant characters in modern fiction? Join us to find out.Every sale supports local bookstores. Bookshop is on a mission to financially support your local, independent bookstores. Socially Conscious. Fast Shipping. Huge Selection.https://bookshop.org/shop/bannedbookclubIf you liked or didn't like this episode, let us know.Leave us a comment and subscribe to our channel!BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpodFollow us on Facebook: @bannedbookclubpodEmail us at info@bannedbookclubpodcast.com

In this episode we discuss Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski. This semi-autobiographical story centers around the childhood of Bukowski’s alter ego, Henry Chinaski. It is a coming of age story devoid of sunshine, rainbows, hugs, and moral platitudes. The book is filled instead with humor, action, and everyday madness. Join us as we explore this origin story of one of America’s greatest curmudgeons, if you have the stomach for it.Every sale supports local bookstores. Bookshop is on a mission to financially support your local, independent bookstores. Socially Conscious. Fast Shipping. Huge Selection.https://bookshop.org/shop/bannedbookclubIf you liked or didn't like this episode, let us know.Leave us a comment and subscribe to our channel!BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpodFollow us on Facebook: @bannedbookclubpodEmail us at info@bannedbookclubpodcast.com

In this episode we discuss Patrick Süskind's Perfume, a murder mystery told primarily through the sense of smell. Join us as we venture into the beautiful and disturbing world of scent, in this truly unique banned book.Every sale supports local bookstores. Bookshop is on a mission to financially support your local, independent bookstores. Socially Conscious. Fast Shipping. Huge Selection.https://bookshop.org/shop/bannedbookclubIf you liked or didn't like this episode, let us know.Leave us a comment and subscribe to our channel!BannedBookClubPodcast.comSubscribe to our Youtube Channel hereFollow us on Instagram: @bannedbookclubpodFollow us on Facebook: @bannedbookclubpodEmail us at info@bannedbookclubpodcast.com