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/bannedbookclub If you liked ..read more

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. Timestamps 0:00 Introduction/Nick’s thoughts 6:50 About the Author/The film  8:30 Why is it banned? 9 ..read more

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 ea ..read more

 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 ..read more

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, in ..read more

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 ..read more

Get "MAUS" by clicking the link below and support local book stores. https://bookshop.org/a/57229/9780679406419 In 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 baffli ..read more

Get "The Stranger" by clicking the link below and support local book stores. https://bookshop.org/a/57229/9780679720201 In 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 Mersaul ..read more

Get "The Inferno" by clicking the link below and support local book stores. https://bookshop.org/a/57229/9780451531391 In 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 ..read more

Get "American Psycho" by clicking the link below and support local book stores. https://bookshop.org/a/57229/9780679735779 In 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 de ..read more