Book bans have been an issue over the years, but there has been an influx since the Trump administration took office. Thousands of books have been challenged or banned. 

Bierschbach expressed frustration over watching books that shaped her life and are vital for people to have the ability to read being taken away. Bierschbach went on to say, “I started the podcast in light of the current administration banning any books that essentially did not glorify the straight white man. I wanted to talk about these stories, why they are being banned, and ensure that people did not lose sight of how important books are.”   

Book bans are not new. Bierschbach said, “The United States may not be burning books like Germany did when books were supposedly going against Nazi ideologies, but the suppression and the attempt to rewrite history is still the current.”  

In 2024, the Minnesota Legislature stated that the state law prohibits book banning, restriction, and removal from schools and public libraries solely due to differences in viewpoints or messages the book may carry. 

According to MPR News, despite the state law going into effect in August of 2024, St. Francis Schools’ book policy, which was implemented in November 2024, states that all books must go through a rating system before becoming available to students. The rating system that the St. Francis school and many other schools use discriminates against books on their viewpoints. 

ACLU Minnesota sued the school district over the book policy. Conservative groups such as Moms for Liberty, Parents’ Rights in Education, and Citizens Defending Freedom have been fueling the uproar in school systems to have titles removed from libraries under the guise of protecting children from explicit content. 

On her podcast, which she records from her home in Paynesville, Minnesota, Bierschbach has discussed books from ‘The Hunger Games,’ ‘Speak,’ ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ and ‘The Diary of Anne Frank,’ and has many banned titles coming up on her weekly show.  “Books that cover topics such as racism, LGBTQIA+, dystopian societies, individuals of color, whether that is the author or a character in the book, violence, mental health, feminism, and much more.”  

Bierschbach shared that her February 22nd episode was about Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, and how she found this book essential to comment on because women’s rights are at risk across the country. New laws are being sworn in that are putting women at risk. “I choose books based on different themes each week. Sometimes, the romance genre, since relationships have been viewed as pornographic, dystopian novels for their similarities to our current administration, and books that cover sexual assault, teach young people that it is okay to speak up. I will cycle through these genres again because the list is ever-growing.” 

Despite judgment from peers, Bierschbach has continued forging ahead, creating a safe space for people to learn and access titles that are at risk or have already been banned. “I experienced some criticism from conservative individuals in the town I live in who believe that books should not contain LGBTQIA+ content for children to read.”  

 A podcast listener spoke about its importance and what they have learned from it. “The podcast has opened my eyes to issues that are going on in the world, and that it is important to keep books available, so we do not repeat our past.” 

The popularity of podcasts has skyrocketed in recent years, but there are risks. Both right—and left-wing podcasters share their point of view on politics and current events. 

 “Podcasts that share the same ideologies as the current administration are incredibly harmful. These forms of media normalize extremism and spread misinformation. Listeners do not question it when there are no resources to back up their claims linked to the episode,” she said. 

 With Banned Book Barricade, Bierschbach has made it a point to not only share her opinion on how crucial it is not to restrict access to books but also relate topics to current events and make it a point to attach links to the information discussed in each episode.  

Bierschbach wants to own a bookstore that sells restricted or banned books in the future. “I refuse to let any stories be forgotten because a government decides people should not have free will over that information. The moment we allow censorship; we no longer know our history.” 

For now, Banned Book Barricade can be found on platforms such as Spotify, Audible, Amazon, Podcast addict, and RSS.