Tonight, I am reintroducing a very special episode. The first novel that I covered on Brook Reading over four years ago was George Orwell’s politically dystopian classic, 1984. In the spirit of my recent episodes featuring banned books and discussing censorship, I am closing out with a two-parter revisiting Orwell’s masterpiece. In classic Brook Reading fashion, I discuss several movie adaptations, include multiple 5 minute rants within the book discussion, and even return to my original intro and outro songs! While I LOVE the remixes done by Sean and Vic, I thought it’d be fun to take this episode old school. Thank you to Ali for your email regarding the connection between David Bowie and 1984, and please visit the website this week for some extra 1984 fun! The promo tonight is for Livestream for the Cure, and you can also find all the information about that upcoming event at https://allmylinks.com/livestreamforthecure Happy Reading!

Tonight, I am reintroducing a very special episode. The first novel that I covered on Brook Reading over four years ago was George Orwell’s politically dystopian classic, 1984. In the spirit of my recent episodes featuring banned books and discussing censorship, I am closing out with a two-parter revisiting Orwell’s masterpiece. In classic Brook Reading fashion, I discuss several movie adaptations, include multiple 5 minute rants within the book discussion, and even return to my original intro and outro songs! While I LOVE the remixes done by Sean and Vic, I thought it’d be fun to take this episode old school. Thank you to Ali for your email regarding the connection between David Bowie and 1984, and please visit the website this week for some extra 1984 fun! The promo tonight is for Livestream for the Cure, and you can also find all the information about that upcoming event at https://allmylinks.com/livestreamforthecure Happy Reading!

This week’s episode of Brook Reading reviews a novel that I have been waiting to do since I started the podcast. I am reviewing “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury, which is not only such a well-written novel, one of the best, in my opinion, but also a novel that has introduced society to so many concepts. Bradbury’s classic novel takes the idea of censorship and flips it on its head, creating a universe where not only book burning is normal, but expected, and reading, intellect, debate, and independent thinking are against the law. A small, hidden population, however, still fights for the right to think freely, and will sacrifice anything, even their lives, to do so. The promo tonight is for Livestream for the Cure, and you can also find all the information about that upcoming event at https://allmylinks.com/livestreamforthecure Happy Reading!Intro Music: Sean FaustOutro Music: Victoria Timpanaro

This week, I am joined by my hysterically funny pal, comedian and podcaster Kendra Crump! Our conversations are always so fun, usually raunchy, and this one is no exception! Ken ALSO finally reveals to me that she is now a PUBLISHED AUTHOR! I can’t wait to have her on the show again and talk about her book. We also touch upon some serious content, and I implore you to not only listen, but to have these conversations as well. We have such an open and intelligent conversation on censorship, race, language, education, the Joe Rogan/COVID controversy, and it felt so good to be able to do so. We need to continue the conversation, be open-minded, and share our differences in a safe space. Thank you, as always, Ken, for joining me, and please go find her on Instagram @thekyndracrump show and check out her podcast on Anchor. Also, please go follow the Party Time Excellent Podcast on Instagram as well, and give them a listen! The promo tonight is for Livestream for the Cure, and you can also find all the information about that upcoming event at https://allmylinks.com/livestreamforthecure Happy Reading!Link for "Diamond in the Rough" by Kendra Crumphttps://amzn.to/3KqKMiw Intro Music: Sean FaustOutro Music: Victoria Timpanaro

This week’s episode is a look back on Banned Books Week, created by the American Library Association. As this episode was originally recorded in September of 2020, some of the references may be outdated, but the phenomenon of Banned Books Week still exists, and is incredibly necessary still today. The promo for Livestream for the Cure, however, IS current, and you can find all the information about that upcoming event at https://allmylinks.com/livestreamforthecure Happy Reading!Promo: Livestream for the CureIntro Music: Sean FaustOutro Music: Victoria Timpanaro

This week, I bring you another Encyclopedic episode - Volume 6! This focus is on William Wordsworth, Anne Lamott, the history of “People” magazine, and one of the most important poets and authors of our time, Maya Angelou. Happy Poetry Month, and of course, Happy Reading! Promo: Livestream for the CureIntro Music: Sean FaustOutro Music: Victoria Timpanaro

Tonight’s episode, while a week late, is a Housekeeping episode! I feel like we haven’t talked in forever! :)I have so much to update you on, future episodes, my personal musings, and of course a promo for LIVESTREAM FOR THE CURE! It is that time of year again where my friend, Nick, of Nikoli’s kitchen, raises money for the Cancer Research Institute. You can find out more about that during tonight’s promo break, and I will talk to you next week. Happy Reading! Intro Music: Sean FaustOutro Music: Victoria Timpanaro

Tonight on Brook Reading, I conclude my review of the complete series, Maus, as I cover Part 2 - A Survivor’s Tale - And Here My Troubles Began, by Art Spiegelman. These episodes have been a whirlwind, fraught with emotions, as I haven’t been able to put the book down. I hope you go out there and get yourself a copy somehow, buy it, borrow it, read the PDF (which will AGAIN be posted on the website this week), share amongst friends, and if you ARE a parent or educator, share it with your children. Have the difficult conversations, not about swear words and “mild nudity”, but about the importance of studying our history so we DO NOT REPEAT IT! Please visit the website, www.brookreadingpodcast.com, to find the PDF of Maus, Pt. 2 and, as always, Happy Reading.Stop Censorship. Read Banned Books. Educate yourselves and your children. We all must do our part.

Tonight’s episode is a reading of the open letter to the McMinn County Board of Education by Gregory Paul Silber regarding the banning of “Maus” by Art Spiegelman. The link to read this letter is included here: https://www.comicsbeat.com/an-open-letter-to-the-mcminn-county-board-of-education-regarding-maus/ Stop Censorship. Read Banned Books. Educate yourselves and your children. We all must do our part.

This week, I have provided with you a classic Brook Reading episode, full of 5 minute rants, an author biography, and a review of a text that is as integral to our society as Shakespeare and as censored as Salinger. Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel, Maus, is the historically accurate tale of the author’s parents’ horrific capture and imprisonment at Auschwitz during World War II. The novel has recently been banned by a school district in Tennessee, and due to this, is nearly impossible to find in libraries and booksellers. As I have previously discussed in episodes dealing with banned and censored works, the message of the text is always more important and necessary to our society than the reasons behind the censorship. This novel outlining the horrors inflicted upon the Jewish population should not be forgotten by, or banned from, our students. Continue the conversation. Find yourself a copy of “Maus”. Share with others. Stop the Censorship. “When books are run out of school classrooms and libraries, I’m never much disturbed. Not as a citizen, not as a writer, not even as a schoolteacher…which I used to be. What I tell kids is, don’t get mad, get even. Don’t spend time waving signs or carrying petitions around the neighborhood. Instead, RUN, don’t walk, to the nearest non-school library or the local bookstore and get whatever it was that they banned. Read whatever they’re trying to keep out of your eyes and your brain, because that’s exactly what you need to know.” - Stephen KingPromo: Book Sweet Shop in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and online at https://www.shopbooksweet.com/ Go visit them on Instagram @shopbooksweet Visit https://www.brookreadingpodcast.com for all the links mentioned in the episode.Intro music: Sean FaustOutro music: Victoria Timpanaro