In Part 1 of the season finale, Christine and Jessica watch and discuss the first half of Birth of a Nation (screenplay by D.W. Griffith and Frank E. Woods). The movie, which was the catalyst for the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the late 1910s and early 1920s, is groundbreaking technically and cinematically; it is also a deeply offensive propaganda film. It was challenged and banned in eight states after its release. Roger Ebert famously said in his review that Birth of a Nation "is not a bad film because it argues for evil...it is a great film that argues for evil. To understand how it does so is to learn a great deal about film, and even something about evil."

Pre-order Jessica's next book We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family's Mythmaking and Migration, coming June 18!

If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!

"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.

If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!

Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jackson Rodriguez is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.

Join us next week for Part 2 of our season finale about Birth of a Nation!

Links for Episode 16:

• Link to Birth of a Nation on Youtube (it's in the public domain, so anyone can watch for free)
• Link to Roger Ebert's review
• Popular reactions to The Birth of a Nation from the Library of Congress
• "100 Years Later, What's the Legacy of 'Birth of a Nation'?" NPR, 2015

Jessica tells Christine about Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, an utterly beautiful graphic memoir about Bechdel's coming of age as a queer artist and the death of her father. The layered narrative is funny, poignant, brilliant, and heartbreaking. It's also one of the few books we've talked about to be challenged or banned at the post-graduate level. Come hear what all the fuss is about with this revolutionary, genre-bending book!

Pre-order Jessica's next book We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family's Mythmaking and Migration, coming June 18!

If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!

"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.

If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!

Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jackson Rodriguez is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.

Tune in next week for part one of our season finale about the film A Birth of a Nation!

Links for Episode 15:

• Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
• Alison Bechdel's biography
• Bechdel's website, "Dykes to Watch Out For"
• Michael J. Rosenfeld, "Moving a Mountain: The Extraordinary Trajectory of Same-Sex Marriage Approval in the United States"
• Jürgen Habermas, The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere
• Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities

Christine tells Jessica about A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen. The groundbreaking play premiered in 1879, and yet it's shockingly relevant today. Christine goes into the history of the play, the fascinating plot, and her own personal connection with the twists of this devastating story.

Preorder Jessica's book, We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family's Mythmaking and Migration, which comes out June 18 with Viking, and come see her on tour!

If you haven’t yet become a Patreon subscriber, you can join now for just $3 a month. In addition to joining the Banned Geeks Book Club, your $3 helps us stay the course by highlighting banned works and bringing you these conversations each week. Thank you for your support! The success of this podcast depends on you!

"The Beautiful and Banned" is produced by Jessica Goudeau and Christine Renee Miller. Follow us on social media: @beautifulandbannedpod, @christinereneemiller, and @jessica_goudeau.

If you’d like to advertise with us, visit the "Contact Us" page on our website. If you liked our show, please rate and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. The best way to support a new podcast is to share it with your friends!

Our co-producer, Rob Heath, wrote and performed our theme music. Kalin Siegwald designed our logo. Jackson Rodriguez is our amazing podcast assistant. This is A Sisters By Different Misters Production.

Tune in next week for part one of our season finale about the film A Birth of a Nation.

Links for Episode 14:

• Buy A Doll's House
• Learn more about Henrik Ibsen's life
• A history of women's rights in the US (yay for credit cards?!?)
• A history of ender and revolution in Europe