Tabook!
Children's books are in the news lately -- and not always for good reasons. Books for people under 18 are disproportionately the targets of bans and censorship. This is obviously a major issue for free speech, for the rights of often underrepresented groups to tell their stories and for the rights of others to be able to hear those stories. But it’s also a sign that children’s books are actually right in the middle of important political conversations, and attempts to ban them can be ignored at our peril.
This podcast is a deep dive into the children's books that have been censored over the years – and the reasons why. Because it turns out that for as long as children’s books have existed, controversy has never been far behind.
We hope you’ll come along, whether you love children’s books like us, or just enjoy a good story about sex, drugs, war criminals, government crackdowns, accusations of Satanism -- and rabbits drinking tea.
For business inquiries: hello.tabook@gmail.com
Tabook!
Roald Dahl Isn't Horny Anymore :(
What happens when a beloved children's classic has something problematic, outdated, or just plain boring in it -- and the author isn't around to fix it? Sometimes editors take matters into their own hands. We discuss editing controversies involving Shakespeare, Roald Dahl, Doctor Seuss, and even Goosebumps, and Maria offers up a much better version of Twilight.
Sources:
> BBC: Roald Dahl: The fierce debate over rewriting children's classics
> NYT: The Truth About the ‘Censorship’ of Roald Dahl
> Smithsonian Magazine on Thomas and Henrietta Bowdler
> RL Stine editing controversy [x] [x]
> Edited "Night Before Christmas"
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For business inquiries: hello.tabook@gmail.com
