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Borrowed & Returned

Brooklyn Public Library is full of stories. Borrowed brings the best of them to you.

Current podcast series:

Borrowed & Returned is a new podcast series that examines what our reading public borrowed in the past, and what we’re all reading now. In conversations with library workers, authors and readers across the country, we’ll return to the books that changed us, and changed America, too.

Previous podcast series:

Borrowed and Banned is BPL’s Peabody-nominated series about America’s ideological war with its bookshelves. From September to December 2023, we released ten episodes featuring the stories from students, librarians, and teachers on the frontlines of intellectual freedom, and writers whose books have become political battleground. This series also won a Webby Award and was nominated for an Ambie Award.

BPL’s Anthem Award-winning podcast is a narrative show about superhero librarians, neighborhood stories, and what it means to be a free, democratic place in today’s changing world. We’ve told stories about libraries during natural disasters, the challenges of homelessness, and NYC’s fraught relationship with trash.

For transcripts, pictures, book lists, and resources, please visit our web page: bklynlib.org/podcasts

The views, thoughts, and opinions of the guests do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of Brooklyn Public Library.

Copyright: © 2025 Borrowed & Returned

Latest Episodes:

An Interview with George M. Johnson Nov 16, 2023

Show notes

George M. Johnson talks about their debut Young Adult memoir All Boys Aren't Blue, the support of their family, their love of Toni Morrison, and the importance of standing against book bans.

Read the transcript here.

Resources:

Check out All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson.
Read about Johnson's family supporting their book when it was challenged in Glen Ridge, New Jersey.
Access other banned books with our free Books Unbanned library card for teens.

Battle of the Classics Nov 09, 2023

Show notes

Our call to action for this episode:

Talk about the books that are important to you, even if they aren’t challenged.
Stay informed about what books are being challenged in your area by subscribing to Book Riot's Literary Activism Newsletter. Each week, journalist Kelly Jensen writes about the latest in book banning trends, stories, and reports from across the country.

More resources:

Read the new "classics," selected by teens.
If you're a young person, you can join the Intellectual Freedom Teen Meetup, BPL's monthly virtual meeting to talk about the freedom to read.
Check out Dr. Emily Knox's Book Banning in 21st Century America and her research on challenges to diverse books.
Listen to our full interview with Mike Curato.

Read the new "classics," according to teens.

An Interview with Mike Curato Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

Mike Curato talks about his award-winning graphic novel Flamer, his writing practice, and how it feels to have his story vaulted into national headlines as parents, politicians, and school boards campaign to remove his book from school and library shelves.

Read the transcript here.

Resources:

Check out Flamer from BPL, or other books by Mike Curato.
See what books were most frequently challenged in 2022, according to the America Library Association.
This conversation touches on suicide. If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or is in crisis, you can talk to someone at the suicide and crisis lifeline. Just call 988. It’s free, and it’s available 24 hours a day.

Of Parents and School Boards Oct 26, 2023

Show notes

Over the past few years, school board races have become more heated and more political — and books have become the center of that political storm. We look at what happened in Keller, Texas when an ultra-conservative group took over the school board.

You can read a transcript of this episode here.

Our call to action for this episode:

Find out when the next school board meeting is happening in your community, and show up.
Unite Against Book Bans has an Action Toolkit with advice for how to talk about book bans, and how to contact your local officials about the freedom to read.

More resources:

PEN America has been tracking states with "educational gag orders" in place or pending. Read their anyalisis here.
Read ProPublica's investigation into chaos at school boards, and Nicole Carr's reporting on one school board in Cherokee County, Georgia.
Submit an anonymous testimonial to help us document how teens, parents, educators and community members are fighting for their freedom to read.
Check out some of the books mentioned on this episode.

This Day in Esoteric Political History: United States vs One Book Called Ulysses (1933) Oct 19, 2023

Show notes

It’s an off-week for Borrowed and Banned, but we do have something special to share. We’re doing a collaboration with PRX’s Radiotopia, and they sent along an episode from one of their shows that is really relevant to our series.

This Day in Esoteric Political History is a podcast that tells the story of one moment from US history that took place on a particular day -- and discuss what it might have to teach us about our current moment. Back in 2020, the hosts did an episode about the banning of James Joyce’s Ulysses <

Seen and Obscene Oct 12, 2023

Show notes

The birth of obscenity laws in the 1870s provides a cautionary tale for the present moment, when far-right conservatives incorrectly label books “sexually explicit” as a way to provoke outrage in communities nationwide. This episode, we delve into the parallels that history can reveal and hear from students in Texas fighting for their freedom to read.

You can read a transcript of this episode here.

Our calls to action for this episode:

Be an ally and an advocate for the teens in your life. Start a conversation about what matters to them, and how you can help.
Support getting more LGBTQ+ affirming books into classrooms: Rainbow Library is a program created by GLSEN that allows school staff to request a set of 10 free LGBTQ+ books for their own classrooms.

More resources

Check out some of the books mentioned in this episode. If you live anywhere in the US and are between the ages of 13 and 21, you can check out those books (and many more!) with a Books Unbanned library card.
Learn more about Cameron Samuels, Da'Taeveyon Daniels, and their organization SEAT: Students Engaged in Advancing Texas.
Read the PEN America reports about book bans in schools for the 2021-2022 school year, and 2022-2023.
Delve into the history of censorship with Amy Werbel's book Lust on Trial and read her article about the parallels to today, co-authored with PEN America's Free Expression and Education Director Jonathan Friedman

All for a Library Card Sep 28, 2023

Show notes

When a high school teacher in Norman, Oklahoma shared a QR code with her students that would grant them access to BPL’s digital collection, she took a stand against a restrictive state law. That act of resistance made her first day of school ... also her last.

Our call to action for this episode: Get a library card! Wherever you live, sign up for a library card in person or online. If you're between the ages of 13 and 21, you can apply to our free Books Unbanned e-library card. Plus, Seattle Public Library and Boston Public Library now also have Books Unbanned cards that you can apply to up to age 26. And, if you live anywhere in California, you can apply to LA County Library's Books Unbanned program if you are between the ages of 13 and 18.

If you'd like, you can read a transcript of this episode. Borrowed and Banned is a production of Brooklyn Public Library and receives support from the Metropolitan New York Library Council’s Equity in Action Grant and Goat Rodeo.

More resources:

October 1 - 7 is Banned Books Week! There are lots of events you can attend in Brooklyn and across the country. On October 4th, join our social media campaign by posting a picture of yourself reading in public (a banned book, or any book) and tell everyone that you protect the #FreedomtoRead.
Read new reports from PEN America about book bans in schools, and the American Library Association's stats on bans in libraries across the country.
Read some of the most frequently-challenged books (many of which will be featured on this podcast series)!
Start your own movement by wearing BPL's Books Unbanned QR code on your T-shirt or hoodie (and support the library while doing it!)
Sign up for our newsletter to get every episode delivered to your inbox.

Introducing: Borrowed and Banned Sep 18, 2023

Show notes

Last year, over 2,500 unique titles were challenged in libraries across the country. That’s the highest number in over 20 years. On Borrowed and Banned, we tell the story of America’s ideological war with its bookshelves by talking with the people most impacted: the students on the frontlines, the librarians and teachers whose livelihoods are endangered when they speak up, and the writers whose books have become political battleground.

Read the transcript and find resources: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts/introducing-borrowed-and

An Episode from Grown: Culture and Identity Sep 08, 2023

Show notes

We’re doing something a little bit different today and sharing an episode from a totally different podcast we love … it’s called Grown, and it’s from the Moth. Grown is all about the experience of growing up. There's conversations, true stories told live, and young people grappling with big questions. Read more about Grown and subscribe at grownpod.com. We hope you enjoy! About the episode: "Natural hair. A culture festival. Middle school jerks. In this episode, we hear stories of culture, identity, and how the two intertwine. Oleeta Fogden gets her first period, and Katiana Ciceron talks about the time her pastor touched her hair. Then, Aleeza and Fonzo get an update from Katiana on how she feels about her story now. Hosted by: Aleeza Kazmi and Fonzo Lacayo. Storytellers: Oleeta Fogden and Katiana Cicero."

Jay-Z at the Library Sep 01, 2023

Show notes

Over 14,000 patrons have signed up for their first library card since Jay-Z's exhibit came to Central Library in mid-July. We talk to Brooklynites traveling around the borough to collect all 13 Jay-Z library cards, and ask what The Book of HOV means to them.

Learn more about the exhibit and our signature library cards: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/podcasts/jay-z-library

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