Ten-Episode Series Revisits Books That Changed America
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New Series Follows BPL’s Peabody-Nominated Podcast
Borrowed and Banned
Brooklyn—Brooklyn Public Library launched a new podcast series today to consider the books that have changed the national conversation. Over 10 episodes, writer and audio producer Virginia Marshall and librarian Adwoa Adusei talk to authors, historians, educators, poets, executives, and everyday people about the books that changed the perspectives and the national conversation.
“We are delighted to bring you our new podcast series which highlights the incredible impact of books on individual lives, communities and our nation as a whole. Amid the current backdrop of extraordinary censorship, in each episode you will hear about the books that changed us—from The Snowy Day to the An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States—and learn why access to books from all points of view is more important than ever,” said Nick Higgins, Chief Librarian.
The series, titled Borrowed and Returned, is a follow up to the Library’s 2024 Peabody-nominated podcast Borrowed and Banned which traced the origins of a historic rise in censorship. The producers came away from that series with one main takeaway: books have always had incredible power. Why else would anyone go to such lengths to remove them?
The new narrative series consider books from a wide variety of genres— memoir, speculative fiction, history, children’s books, and graphic novels. The selections were based on a survey of library workers, readers and writers who were asked about the books that changed them. Over the course of the series, the hosts consider books like Silent Spring, Maus, The Snowy Day, A People’s History of the United States and many others.
The series starts in Altadena, the residential neighborhood north of Pasadena and L.A. which was consumed by fire earlier this year. Three decades before that devastating event, Octavia Butler, the Hugo- and Nebula- award winning science fiction writer, published Parable of the Sower. Set in 2024-2027 in a neighborhood outside Los Angeles that bears a striking resemblance to Altadena—where Butler lived for much of her life—the book also recounts a fire amid a backdrop of climate change.
A new episode will be released each week and can be found where you listen to podcasts. To see a transcript or learn more about the books in each episode, visit: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts
About Brooklyn Public Library
Brooklyn Public Library is one of the nation’s largest library systems and among New York City’s most democratic institutions. Providing innovative library service for over 125 years, we support personal advancement, foster civic literacy, and strengthen the fabric of community among the more than 2.6 million individuals who call Brooklyn home. We are a global leader in the fight for the freedom to read through our Books Unbanned initiative, offering teens across the US access to the library’s online catalog. We provide nearly 65,000 free programs a year with writers, thinkers, artists, and educators—from around the corner and around the world. And we give patrons millions of opportunities to enjoy one of life’s greatest satisfactions: the joy of a good book.