Episode · The Daily Stoic · 2026-10-25
Books mentioned on The Truth About Banned Books (And Why It Matters)
Book banning isn't a thing of the past. The impulse to restrict what people can read, think, and question is as old as history itself.
Ryan Holiday discussed A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy, Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Bible, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Novel (1885) by by Mark Twain, I Need a New Butt! by Dawn McMillan and others, Lawn boy by Jonathan Evison, Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur, Forget the Alamo by Bryan Burrough and others, and Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
-
A Calendar of Wisdom
A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy is a daily devotional collection featuring Stoic philosophies, Eastern wisdom, and reflections from thinkers like Thoreau, curated to offer guidance for every day of the year.
Discussed“I think it's stupid that the USSR banned and suppressed Tolstoy's a calendar of wisdom for its religious content, right, because it had Christian themes in it”
Where to get it
-
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe is a classic nineteenth-century novel that explores the harsh realities of slavery, migration, and human dignity, famously recognized for its immense historical impact on American social attitudes leading up to the Civil War.
Discussed“In the South, leading up into the Civil War, there were certain books that were banned. Uncle Tom's cabin, for instance. It was a criminal offense, in some cases, to read that book or to even talk about that book.”
Where to get it
-
Bible
The Bible is the foundational religious and historical text of Judeo-Christian traditions, consisting of sacred scriptures that outline God's word, laws, and design for humanity.
Discussed“Catholic Church has banned books, but also, historically, one of the most banned books is the Bible.”
Where to get it
-
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Novel (1885) by
Discussed“Huckleberry should be a great example of this. It challenged racial ideas when it came out, and then today some people think it's inappropriate because it uses the N word and that could offend me, right?”
Where to get it
-
I Need a New Butt!
Discussed“Look, this book, right here, right? This is a children's book, a hilarious children's book called "I Need a New Butt," which my kids love. Spoiler alert, the guy needs a new book because his has a crack in it.”
Where to get it
-
Lawn boy
Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison is a contemporary novel that follows a young Mexican-American man working as a landscaper while coming to terms with his sexual identity and navigating socioeconomic challenges.
Discussed“There was some controversy about this book called Long Boy. If I actually haven't read it, I've no interest in reading. I probably wouldn't read it to my kids, but apparently it's like a gay coming-to-bitch book that there's some sexually explicit things in it, or so I have heard.”
Where to get it
-
Milk and Honey
Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur is a bestselling collection of poetry and prose exploring themes of survival, love, loss, and femininity.
Discussed“You know, they banned, um, rupee cores, milk, and honey. One of the best-selling poetry books of all time, so millions of copies, number one of the New York Times list, popular with people who were being honest, were reading a lot of poetry before, instead of celebrating that, instead of saying that's a good thing, people were mad that”
Where to get it
-
Forget the Alamo
Discussed“There's a wonderful book called "Forget the Alamo," which is a look at the history of Texas in the midst of the Alamo from a different perspective, which is written by three friends of mine here in Austin.”
Where to get it
-
Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf is an autobiographical manifesto by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler that outlines his political ideology and future plans for Germany.
Discussed“I mean, look, mine comp is one of the worst books ever written. Now, book banning is itself and evil.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (6) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“Okay, the other one we get with the ban library all the time they go, what about Camp of the Saints? I'm sure you have Donald Trump's "Art of the Deal" there.”
“Okay, the other one we get with the ban library all the time they go, what about Camp of the Saints? I'm sure you have Donald Trump's "Art of the Deal" there.”
“One of the things you'll hear people say as they'll go, oh, these aren't banned books. These are some of the most famous well-read books in history, right? Catcher in the Rye to Kill a Mockingbird, Fahrenheit 451, 1984.”
“One of the things you'll hear people say as they'll go, oh, these aren't banned books. These are some of the most famous well-read books in history, right? Catcher in the Rye to Kill a Mockingbird, Fahrenheit 451, 1984.”
“One of the things you'll hear people say as they'll go, oh, these aren't banned books. These are some of the most famous well-read books in history, right? Catcher in the Rye to Kill a Mockingbird, Fahrenheit 451, 1984.”
“One of the things you'll hear people say as they'll go, oh, these aren't banned books. These are some of the most famous well-read books in history, right? Catcher in the Rye to Kill a Mockingbird, Fahrenheit 451, 1984.”