Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion

Share and discuss book ideas for
Task 21: Read a book about a moral panic.

Banning music:

Taboo Tunes: A History of Banned Bands & Censored Songs

Banning books:
The Banned Books Club

Sparked fear that all kids are on drugs:
Go Ask Alice

I think this might work:
Passing

Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds I think I have this book from the listopia posted.

Thank you Kristina

Any books dealing with witch trials would work

This one is tough. I'm thinking about Rainbow Black or Now Is Not the Time to Panic

As I was searching for some ideas for this one, I came across this goodreads list, which may be helpful for others: Moral Panic

I think I'm either going to do The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear by Seth Mnookin or potentially A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan.

I'm going to read Prudery and the War on Sex.

I'm planning on reading "Dangerous Games" by Joseph Laycock, about the Satanic Panic and D&D.

Carly Really Very Normal wrote: "I'm planning on reading "Dangerous Games" by Joseph Laycock, about the Satanic Panic and D&D."

Ooh, I was thinking something D&D related, so thanks for the title. My husband and his brother lived through the satanic panic (as teens) and had to deal with their parents' fears about it.

I didn't get interested in D&D until we were married a few years, and was in my late 40s when I played my first game (during the recent renaissance of D&D).

At First I've picked V13 by Carrere, but then I realized that it doesn't fit. so I'm going to read Girls, Moral Panic and News Media: Troublesome Bodies by S. Mazzarella

I'm in a very video game mood this year, so I'm picking up Moral Combat: Why the War on Violent Video Games Is Wrong for this task

Kevin Wilson's Now is Not the Time to Panic fits this

I hate to admit this, but I had no idea what a "moral panic" was. Although now that I know, I realize I've been experiencing it all year. I decided to read the nonfiction Folk Devils and Moral Panics (third edition). Various actual events are discussed.

I am picking up The Panic Broadcast for this one

Gail W wrote: "I hate to admit this, but I had no idea what a "moral panic" was. Although now that I know, I realize I've been experiencing it all year. I decided to read the nonfiction Folk Devils and Mor..."</i>


I am reading [book:Folk Devils and Moral Panics, too. Mods and the Rockers are right in my current interest zone.

I happened to have checked it out before I thought about this task, but I highly recommend They Came for the Schools: One Town's Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America's Classrooms: An Eye-Opening Education Exposé with a ... the Truth About Public School Privatization, which is about Christian nationalist attacks on public schools, which I'd absolutely say is the result of a moral panic.

I'm thinking about reading Lust on Trial: Censorship and the Rise of American Obscenity in the Age of Anthony Comstock by Amy Werbel, Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers' Rights edited by Ashley Hope Pérez, Burning the Books: A History of the Deliberate Destruction of Knowledge by Richard Ovenden, or Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook. I'm also hoping to maybe find something about the Hays Code.

I would recommend checking out Cannabis: The Illegalization of Weed in America by Box Brown.

I am reading Under the Eye of Power by Colin Dickey and it’s fantastic. It is his look at conspiracy theories and resulting moral panics and how they shape our national identity on a regular basis. Highly recommend!

Krista wrote: "Carly Really Very Normal wrote: "I'm planning on reading "Dangerous Games" by Joseph Laycock, about the Satanic Panic and D&D."

Ooh, I was thinking something D&D related, so thanks for the title. ..."

Ooh, so glad to help! I grew up playing D&D, but my dad was a young adult when that was happening and he told me about it as I was growing up. It's not something that I know very much about, but I've always been interested in it. We'll learn about it together!

I'm planning on reading The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How it Changed America . It's about Frederic Wertham's campaign against comic books in the 50's.

I'm going to read That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America by Amanda Jones

Elizabeth wrote: "I'm thinking about reading Lust on Trial: Censorship and the Rise of American Obscenity in the Age of Anthony Comstock by Amy Werbel, Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers' R..."</i>

Look for [bookcover:Sin in Soft Focus: Pre-Code Hollywood by Mark A. Vieira. But it's from 1999, it may be hard to acquire...

Emily wrote: "I happened to have checked it out before I thought about this task, but I highly recommend [book:They Came for the Schools: One Town's Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America's Cl..."

This book is so good! Informative, well researched and chilling! Great on audio.

Jenny wrote: "I'm going to read That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America by Amanda Jones"
I am too, reading it now actually and it is riveting. Infuriating, but so important.

Julia wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "I'm thinking about reading Lust on Trial: Censorship and the Rise of American Obscenity in the Age of Anthony Comstock by Amy Werbel, [book:Banned Together: Our Fi..."

Thanks for the suggestion!

Jenny wrote: "I'm going to read That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America by Amanda Jones"

This sounds so good. And it is crazy that we are currently living through this.

Would The Reformatory count for this? I'm not sure the word 'panic' would apply. Otherwise I'm going to read They Called Us Enemy by George Takei

Otherwise I'm going to read They Called Us Enemy by George Takei"

They Called Us Enemy is so well done and would definitely work for this prompt!

I'm reading Infections and Inequalities: The Modern Plagues. The moral panic is infectious diseases.

Elizabeth wrote: "I'm thinking about reading Lust on Trial: Censorship and the Rise of American Obscenity in the Age of Anthony Comstock by Amy Werbel, Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers' R..."

I'm still hoping to read most of these this year, but I ended up reading An Outbreak of Witchcraft: A Graphic Novel of the Salem Witch Trials by Deborah Noyes, art by M. Duffy. It was alright.

I read And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle. The book is about Abraham Lincoln's presidency. There was a lot of moral panic going on during the Civil War.

I love to interperse graphic novels among my choices, so I read Banned Book Club.

I read History Smashers: Salem Witch Trials by Kate Messner. 2/17/25

I think Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books would fit this catagory. A fun read!

The Lavender Scare by David K Johnson

A Raging Quiet would probably fit well, it's witch trials!

I read The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

I just finished Daughter of Moloka'i, which has both Japanese internment camp and leprosy in the story.

The prequel of this book Moloka'i is centered around a leprosy colony.

I read Camp Damascus...went a little into gay conversion therapy camps, so I felt like it hit a bit here.