Okay, so things aren't quite like Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 just yet, but book bands are very real, and they're everywhere right now.

On today's selected shorts, the meaning of censored works with one of the most

banned authors of the 20th century, Judy Blume. I'm Meg Wallitzer. Our stories start now.

You're listening to Selected Shorts where our greatest actors transport us through the magic

of fiction, one short story at a time.

Believe it or not, the book ban is an intrinsic part of American society. Back in 1637, when the country was nothing more than colonies, the Puritans banned books by a fellow colonist called Thomas Morton,

who was not only critical of Puritan society, but seemed sympathetic to the plight of Native Americans, too.

Since that time, book bands have marched on slowly but steadily. Uncle Tom's cabin was banned in the

South for its pro-abolution message.

Ulysses was deemed pornographic.

To kill a mockingbird and beloved were banned for depictions of sexual violence,

the graphic novel Mouse for its language, nudity, and violence.

To name just a few.

Each was tossed from curricula or libraries and on local, state, or national levels.

And book banning has remained sadly constant for much of the country's history. In recent years,

the practice has been supercharged by anxious people who often have not read the literature in question. In 2020 alone, a total of 223 titles were challenged by parents, community, or school boards.

In 2023, the grand total of challenged titles rose to 4,240.

We had selected shorts wanted to dig into this disturbing trend and some of the works it's meant to protect us from.

We asked one of America's most beloved and most banned authors, Judy Bloom, to host a live show on the subject.

And to our great satisfaction, the cherished author of Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret, agreed.

The resulting evening featured works from band authors and Bloom's

own commentary about her experiences being banned. You'll hear some examples in this hour.

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