Banned Camp: Banned Books, Comedy, and Free Speech vs. Censorship

By Jennifer Davis and Dan Schulz turn books banned in schools into a comedy book review podcast, reading challenged literature cover-to-cover to find out exactly what got each book banned.

Love banned books? Hate censorship? Same.

Banned Camp is a comedy podcast where we read banned books out loud, cover-to-cover, and try to figure out why they were banned in the first place.

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· Society & Culture

4.7

170170 ratings

FAQs about Banned Camp: Banned Books, Comedy, and Free Speech vs. Censorship:

How many episodes does Banned Camp: Banned Books, Comedy, and Free Speech vs. Censorship have?

The podcast currently has 358 episodes available.

Best of Banned Camp: Banned Books, Comedy, and Free Speech vs. Censorship

The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

Number 1: The Handmaid’s Tale Chapter 32: What She Keeps Under the Mattress | Banned Books Comedy
Rita's cutting radishes into little Aztec hearts and Offred just wants a match. That's it, that's the whole ask, and somehow it turns into the most loaded transaction in the house. This chapter gives us a stolen cigarette, a hidden plan, and a commander who wants credit for building the world he broke. This episode includes AI-voiced content, including our trusty fact-checking robot, Robot. Banned Camp is a comedy podcast where we read banned books chapter by chapter — we don't read ahead, so you're discovering the story with us. Things To Listen For: Dan calls his shot early: someone in this book is going to cut themselves, and he wants credit if he's right Robot traces the Marthas back to Luke 10 and roasts Martha Stewart along the way The Commander explains why "better" never means better for everyone, and Dan explains what he'd have asked for instead A detour through Real Sex, powerful men, and dominatrix economics that somehow loops back to who really holds the power in this house Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned? This chapter's version of the Commander explaining away a system built on controlling women's bodies, paired with the quiet menace of Rita's "burn the house down" line, is exactly the kind of content that gets books like this pulled from shelves. It's not the sex or the violence that scares people, it's how reasonable the man justifying it sounds. If this is your first episode, you're fine starting here. Our fact-checking Robot catches you up fast, then we read the next chapter (spoilers). Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts Rate, review, and follow us on Apple Podcasts to help other scary book people find us! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/banned-camp-banned-books-comedy-and-free-speech-vs/id1676866857 Disclaimer Banned Camp features readings and discussions of banned books for the purpose of criticism, commentary, education, and entertainment, in accordance with fair use guidelines. The material used from the book The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is shared under these principles, with the intent of provoking thought and discussion about literature, censorship, and societal issues. The original work remains fully owned by its copyright holders, and we strongly encourage listeners to purchase a copy here to experience the book in its entirety. https://bookshop.org/a/20953/9780385490818 This podcast is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to Margaret Atwood, her estate, or the publishers of The Handmaid's Tale. Any monetization of the podcast is separate from the copyrighted material discussed. Frequently Asked Questions Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned? The Handmaid's Tale has been challenged or banned in American schools and libraries every single year since its publication in 1985. It was the most challenged book in the United States in 2023. It has been targeted for profanity, sexually explicit content, and content deemed "offensive to Christians." But the deeper reason is that Margaret Atwood showed what happens when a government uses religion, tradition, and "protecting families" as justification for stripping women of their rights, their names, and their autonomy. That's the part that actually scares book banners, because it looks a lot like Tuesday. Is there a podcast that reads The Handmaid's Tale chapter by chapter? That's us. Banned Camp reads a different banned book every season, one chapter at a time — neither host has read ahead, so you're discovering the story together in real time. Season 11 covers The Handmaid's Tale, and every episode includes the chapter reading, discussion, a fact-checking Robot, and a segment on why books get banned. Do I need to start Banned Camp from the beginning? No. Every episode opens with Robot's recap of the previous chapter, so you can jump in anywhere. Most listeners tell us they started mid-season and went back to the beginning after they were hooked. Why does Offred want a match in The Handmaid's Tale? In Chapter 32, Offred trades a small favor from Serena Joy for a single cigarette and a match, then spends the whole walk back to her room planning what to do with them, from smoking it to eating it to hiding it in her mattress. Banned Camp digs into why one match feels like this much power on this week's episode of their Season 11 reading. Topics Covered: The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 32, Jennifer Davis, Dan Schulz, Robot, Beowulf Rochlen, Rita, Serena Joy, the Commander, Ofglen, Cora, power and control, quiet resistance, complicity, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast
September 10, 202635min
Number 2: The Handmaid’s Tale Chapter 31: Serena Joy’s Dangerous Offer | Banned Books Comedy
The Handmaid counts her days, walks the wall with Ofglen, and gets pulled aside by Serena Joy for a yarn-winding session that turns into something a lot more calculated. Dan and Jennifer dig into what's really going on with the Commander's Scrabble habit, a body on the wall marked with a mysterious "J," and an offer from Serena that could get everyone involved killed. This episode includes AI-voiced content, including our trusty fact-checking robot, Robot. Banned Camp is a comedy podcast where we read banned books chapter by chapter — we don't read ahead, so you're discovering the story with us. Things To Listen For: Robot fact-checks whether Handmaids wear corsets or restrictive clothing under their robes, and the real answer is somehow worse Dan and Jennifer try to work out what peyot are, and Robot shuts down the "braided hair" theory for good A full Secret Service codename detour, including Trump's real one and Robot's better suggestions The toilet-cleaning dare: Dan challenges listeners to skip cleaning theirs for two weeks and report back Serena Joy hands Offred a skein of wool to hold, then an offer that could end in a hanging Robot's closing log on hope, coercion, and what "but only maybe" is really built to do Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned? This chapter's wall scene, where a body is marked only with a "J" and its meaning is left deliberately unclear, sits right on top of the book's religious persecution imagery, one of the exact reasons challengers cite when they call the book "offensive." Add in Serena Joy's proposal to break the law around adultery and reproduction, and you've got two of the most commonly flagged reasons for banning this book in one chapter. If this is your first episode, you're fine starting here. Our fact-checking Robot catches you up fast, then we read the next chapter (spoilers). Banworthy to Bingeworthy No promo swap this episode, but we always make room for the news. Good News for Lefties — Beowulf covers a Somerset County, Maryland school board that tried to lock young adult books away from almost every student in the district, and the appeal that says it violates both the First Amendment and the state's Freedom to Read Act. Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts Rate, review, and follow us on Apple Podcasts to help other scary book people find us! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/banned-camp-banned-books-comedy-and-free-speech-vs/id1676866857 Disclaimer Banned Camp features readings and discussions of banned books for the purpose of criticism, commentary, education, and entertainment, in accordance with fair use guidelines. The material used from the book The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is shared under these principles, with the intent of provoking thought and discussion about literature, censorship, and societal issues. The original work remains fully owned by its copyright holders, and we strongly encourage listeners to purchase a copy here to experience the book in its entirety. https://bookshop.org/a/20953/9780385490818 This podcast is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to Margaret Atwood, her estate, or the publishers of The Handmaid's Tale. Any monetization of the podcast is separate from the copyrighted material discussed. Frequently Asked Questions Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned? The Handmaid's Tale has been challenged or banned in American schools and libraries every single year since its publication in 1985. It was the most challenged book in the United States in 2023. It has been targeted for profanity, sexually explicit content, and content deemed "offensive to Christians." But the deeper reason is that Margaret Atwood showed what happens when a government uses religion, tradition, and "protecting families" as justification for stripping women of their rights, their names, and their autonomy. That's the part that actually scares book banners, because it looks a lot like Tuesday. Is there a podcast that reads The Handmaid's Tale chapter by chapter? That's us. Banned Camp reads a different banned book every season, one chapter at a time — neither host has read ahead, so you're discovering the story together in real time. Season 11 covers The Handmaid's Tale, and every episode includes the chapter reading, discussion, a fact-checking Robot, and a segment on why books get banned. Do I need to start Banned Camp from the beginning? No. Every episode opens with Robot's recap of the previous chapter, so you can jump in anywhere. Most listeners tell us they started mid-season and went back to the beginning after they were hooked. What does the "J" on the Wall mean in The Handmaid's Tale? In chapter 31, Offred sees a body on the Wall marked only with a red "J," and specifically notes it isn't a yellow star, so it doesn't mean Jewish. The book leaves the exact meaning ambiguous on purpose. Banned Camp breaks down the possible meanings, from Jezebel to Jehovah's Witness, in their Season 11 reading of this chapter. Why does Serena Joy offer to help Offred break the law in The Handmaid's Tale? Serena Joy proposes that Offred sleep with someone other than the Commander to get pregnant, since the law only forbids it in theory. She frames it as help, then dangles a photo of Offred's daughter as a "maybe" reward for cooperating. Banned Camp unpacks why that offer is really about control, not kindness. Topics Covered: The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 31, Offred, Ofglen, Serena Joy, Nick, Luke, Moira, Rita, religious persecution, forced reproduction, coercion and hope, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast
September 08, 202638min
Number 3: The Handmaid's Tale Chapter 30: Luke Kills the Cat Before They Run | Banned Books Podcast
The Handmaid is one night away from fleeing the Republic of Gilead when Luke makes her a quiet, terrible promise about their cat — and by the time chapter 30 ends, she's questioning whether talking to God is any different from talking to a wall. Jennifer and Dan dig into betrayal, forced prayer, and the particular kind of grief you build before you let yourself feel it, while Robot ties one especially dark real-world case straight back to the page. This episode includes AI-voiced content, including our trusty fact-checking robot, Robot. Banned Camp is a comedy podcast where we read banned books chapter by chapter — we don't read ahead, so you're discovering the story with us. Things To Listen For: The moment Luke says "I'll take care of it" the night before they run, and what Offred realizes he actually means Dan's ongoing debate over whether his own dog, Beatrix, would forgive him under the same circumstances Aunt Lydia's "a little pain cleans out the mind" and the genuinely disturbing prayers the Handmaids are forced to recite The reveal of what "Nolite te bastardes carborundorum" actually means, finally answered after a listener called out the omission Beowulf's news segment on a library director who just won $275,000 after being fired for refusing to pull books from the shelves Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned? This chapter pairs a quietly devastating act of complicity — Luke and the cat — with a passage on suicidal ideation and forced religious ritual, exactly the kind of content challengers flag as "disturbing" or "anti-family." But it's also the book's clearest argument for how ordinary people go along with cruelty, which is the part that actually makes banners uncomfortable. If this is your first episode, you're fine starting here. Our fact-checking Robot catches you up fast, then we read the next chapter (spoilers). Banworthy to Bingeworthy This episode's only shoutout goes to Beowulf's own show: Good News for Lefties — Beowulf Rochlen's news show digs into real-world stories Banned Camp doesn't have time for, broadcasting live from deep inside his "socialist safe house" hidden in the Oregon woods. Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts Rate, review, and follow us on Apple Podcasts to help other scary book people find us! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/banned-camp-banned-books-comedy-and-free-speech-vs/id1676866857 Disclaimer Banned Camp features readings and discussions of banned books for the purpose of criticism, commentary, education, and entertainment, in accordance with fair use guidelines. The material used from the book The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is shared under these principles, with the intent of provoking thought and discussion about literature, censorship, and societal issues. The original work remains fully owned by its copyright holders, and we strongly encourage listeners to purchase a copy here to experience the book in its entirety. https://bookshop.org/a/20953/9780385490818 This podcast is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to Margaret Atwood, her estate, or the publishers of The Handmaid's Tale. Any monetization of the podcast is separate from the copyrighted material discussed. Frequently Asked Questions Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned? The Handmaid's Tale has been challenged or banned in American schools and libraries every single year since its publication in 1985. It was the most challenged book in the United States in 2023. It has been targeted for profanity, sexually explicit content, and content deemed "offensive to Christians." But the deeper reason is that Margaret Atwood showed what happens when a government uses religion, tradition, and "protecting families" as justification for stripping women of their rights, their names, and their autonomy. That's the part that actually scares book banners, because it looks a lot like Tuesday. Is there a podcast that reads The Handmaid's Tale chapter by chapter? That's us. Banned Camp reads a different banned book every season, one chapter at a time — neither host has read ahead, so you're discovering the story together in real time. Season 11 covers The Handmaid's Tale, and every episode includes the chapter reading, discussion, a fact-checking Robot, and a segment on why books get banned. Do I need to start Banned Camp from the beginning? No. Every episode opens with Robot's recap of the previous chapter, so you can jump in anywhere. Most listeners tell us they started mid-season and went back to the beginning after they were hooked. Why does Luke kill the cat in The Handmaid's Tale? In Chapter 30, Luke tells Offred "I'll take care of it" the night before they attempt to flee, and she realizes he means killing their cat, since it can't cross the border with them undetected. Banned Camp's Season 11 discussion treats the moment as the book's clearest picture of how ordinary people become complicit in cruelty under pressure to survive. Who is Adriana Smith, and what does she have to do with The Handmaid's Tale? Adriana Smith was a nurse in Atlanta declared brain-dead in 2025 while nine weeks pregnant. The hospital kept her on life support for months, citing state law, though Georgia's own attorney general later said the law didn't require it. Banned Camp's fact-checking Robot connects her case directly to Chapter 30's central image of a body controlled by someone else's decision. Topics Covered: The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 30, Luke, Nick, Serena Joy, Moira, Aunt Lydia, Aunt Elizabeth, Janine, complicity, forced religion and control, reproductive rights and bodily autonomy, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast
September 03, 202637min
Number 4: The Handmaid’s Tale Ch. 29: The Latin Words Written in a Textbook Margin | Banned Books Podcast
The Handmaid and the Commander settle into an unsettling new nightly routine of forbidden magazines, banned novels, and word games in his private study. When she finally works up the nerve to ask him about four mysterious Latin words, his answer connects her to a woman who sat in that exact chair before her, and isn't sitting anywhere now. This episode includes AI-voiced content, including our trusty fact-checking robot, Robot. Banned Camp is a comedy podcast where we read banned books chapter by chapter — we don't read ahead, so you're discovering the story with us. Things To Listen For: Dan renames the Commander "Word Perv" after realizing what he actually gets out of watching Offred read The exact moment Offred realizes she isn't the first Handmaid to sit across from him and play word games What really happened to the Handmaid who had the room before her, and why the light fixture was removed Jennifer and Dan debate what "Commander" even means as a title, landing somewhere between Kentucky Colonel and cosplay Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned? This chapter centers on a woman risking real danger just to read and write in secret, and on the quiet horror of learning her predecessor died by suicide in the same room. Banners tend to flag the sexual tension; they usually miss that the actual threat in this chapter is a woman being handed a pen. If this is your first episode, you're fine starting here. Our fact-checking Robot catches you up fast, then we read the next chapter (spoilers). Banworthy to Bingeworthy If you liked what you heard, here's another show worth your feed: Good News for Lefties — Beowulf Rocklynn's news segment, broadcasting live from what he calls his socialist safe house deep in the Oregon woods. This episode he covers Dolly Parton's legacy and the Imagination Library, the childhood literacy program she built that's sent over 318 million free books to kids around the world. Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts Rate, review, and follow us on Apple Podcasts to help other scary book people find us! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/banned-camp-banned-books-comedy-and-free-speech-vs/id1676866857 Disclaimer Banned Camp features readings and discussions of banned books for the purpose of criticism, commentary, education, and entertainment, in accordance with fair use guidelines. The material used from the book The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is shared under these principles, with the intent of provoking thought and discussion about literature, censorship, and societal issues. The original work remains fully owned by its copyright holders, and we strongly encourage listeners to purchase a copy here to experience the book in its entirety. https://bookshop.org/a/20953/9780385490818 This podcast is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to Margaret Atwood, her estate, or the publishers of The Handmaid's Tale. Any monetization of the podcast is separate from the copyrighted material discussed. Frequently Asked Questions Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned? The Handmaid's Tale has been challenged or banned in American schools and libraries every single year since its publication in 1985. It was the most challenged book in the United States in 2023. It has been targeted for profanity, sexually explicit content, and content deemed "offensive to Christians." But the deeper reason is that Margaret Atwood showed what happens when a government uses religion, tradition, and "protecting families" as justification for stripping women of their rights, their names, and their autonomy. That's the part that actually scares book banners, because it looks a lot like Tuesday. Is there a podcast that reads The Handmaid's Tale chapter by chapter? That's us. Banned Camp reads a different banned book every season, one chapter at a time — neither host has read ahead, so you're discovering the story together in real time. Season 11 covers The Handmaid's Tale, and every episode includes the chapter reading, discussion, a fact-checking Robot, and a segment on why books get banned. Do I need to start Banned Camp from the beginning? No. Every episode opens with Robot's recap of the previous chapter, so you can jump in anywhere. Most listeners tell us they started mid-season and went back to the beginning after they were hooked. What does "Nolite te bastardes carborundorum" mean in The Handmaid's Tale? It's fake Latin, essentially playground graffiti meaning something like "don't let the bastards grind you down." In Chapter 29, the Handmaid learns it wasn't a secret resistance code passed between rebels — the Commander himself scratched it into a textbook margin as a schoolboy. Banned Camp unpacks how the same four words ended up somewhere far more dangerous, written by a very different woman. What happened to Offred's predecessor in The Handmaid's Tale? The Handmaid who had Offred's room before her died by suicide, which is why the room's light fixture was removed. The Commander reveals this almost casually in Chapter 29, and it reframes everything about his private meetings with Offred. Banned Camp discusses what that admission does to the power balance between them. Topics Covered: The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 29, Offred, the Commander, Serena Joy, Luke, Nick, Rita, Cora, Aunt Lydia, Ofglen, forbidden reading, secret language and resistance, power and coercion, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast
September 01, 202638min
Number 5: The Handmaid’s Tale Ch. 28.2: The Day Her Money Stopped Working | Banned Books Comedy
One morning her debit card stops working. By that afternoon, armed soldiers have shut down her workplace and the government has frozen every woman's bank account in the country. In this chapter of The Handmaid's Tale, Jennifer and Dan watch an entire life get taken apart in the space of a single day — one bureaucratic switch at a time. This episode includes AI-voiced content, including our trusty fact-checking robot, Robot. Banned Camp is a comedy podcast where we read banned books chapter by chapter — we don't read ahead, so you're discovering the story with us. Things To Listen For: The Handmaid's card gets declined at the store, and the reason turns out to be much bigger than a mix-up Robot fact-checks the real 1970s feminist "women's collectives" behind Moira's new job Dan draws an unsettling parallel between Gilead's F/M account freeze and modern-day disaster-funding fights A flashback to the narrator's activist mother sparks a debate about who actually fights back when it counts Dan's theory about which character in this book never gets named — and what that says about how she's coping The chapter's gutting final line, and why Jennifer calls it "the one to pay attention to" Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned? This chapter's central image — a government freezing women's bank accounts overnight simply because they're women — is exactly the kind of scene that makes The Handmaid's Tale a perennial target for challenges. It's less about explicit content and more about how plainly it shows a society building oppression through paperwork instead of force. If this is your first episode, you're fine starting here. Our fact-checking Robot catches you up fast, then we read the next chapter (spoilers). Banworthy to Bingeworthy Beowulf closes out this episode's news segment with a plug for his own show: Good News for Lefties — Beowulf Rochlen's own program, straight news for people who are sick of being lied to. Find it wherever you get your podcasts. Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts Rate, review, and follow us on Apple Podcasts to help other scary book people find us! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/banned-camp-banned-books-comedy-and-free-speech-vs/id1676866857 Disclaimer Banned Camp features readings and discussions of banned books for the purpose of criticism, commentary, education, and entertainment, in accordance with fair use guidelines. The material used from the book The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is shared under these principles, with the intent of provoking thought and discussion about literature, censorship, and societal issues. The original work remains fully owned by its copyright holders, and we strongly encourage listeners to purchase a copy here to experience the book in its entirety. https://bookshop.org/a/20953/9780385490818 This podcast is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to Margaret Atwood, her estate, or the publishers of The Handmaid's Tale. Any monetization of the podcast is separate from the copyrighted material discussed. Frequently Asked Questions Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned? The Handmaid's Tale has been challenged or banned in American schools and libraries every single year since its publication in 1985. It was the most challenged book in the United States in 2023. It has been targeted for profanity, sexually explicit content, and content deemed "offensive to Christians." But the deeper reason is that Margaret Atwood showed what happens when a government uses religion, tradition, and "protecting families" as justification for stripping women of their rights, their names, and their autonomy. That's the part that actually scares book banners, because it looks a lot like Tuesday. Is there a podcast that reads The Handmaid's Tale chapter by chapter? That's us. Banned Camp reads a different banned book every season, one chapter at a time — neither host has read ahead, so you're discovering the story together in real time. Season 11 covers The Handmaid's Tale, and every episode includes the chapter reading, discussion, a fact-checking Robot, and a segment on why books get banned. Do I need to start Banned Camp from the beginning? No. Every episode opens with Robot's recap of the previous chapter, so you can jump in anywhere. Most listeners tell us they started mid-season and went back to the beginning after they were hooked. Why do women's bank accounts get frozen in The Handmaid's Tale? Early in Gilead's takeover, the government flags every account belonging to a woman with an "F" instead of an "M" and freezes it in a single move — no trial, no debate, just a flipped switch. Banned Camp digs into this chapter of The Handmaid's Tale, where losing access to money turns out to be the first step in losing everything else. Who is Moira in The Handmaid's Tale? Moira is the narrator's fiercely independent best friend, introduced here working for a "women's collective" publishing books on birth control and rape recovery — the kind of grassroots feminist press Margaret Atwood based directly on real 1970s history. Banned Camp's Robot fact-checks the true story behind Moira's job in this episode. Topics Covered: The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 28, Offred, Luke, Moira, Nick, Beowulf Rochlen, Robot, economic control and gender, mother-daughter activism and generational trauma, marriage and self-erasure, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast
August 27, 202639min