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.Comedy Society & Culture Arts Books

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

September 08The 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.
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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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
38 min
September 03The 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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
37 min
September 01The 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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
38 min
August 27The 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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
39 min
August 25The Handmaid’s Tale Ch. 28.1: This Number’s Not Valid | Banned Books Comedy
The Handmaid spends the hour picking at old wounds — her friendship with Moira, her guilt over Luke, and the day the government quietly stopped being a democracy. By the end of the chapter, the past and present collide in the worst possible way: a corner store, a declined card, and three words that change everything.
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 and Jennifer imagining Moira as pure MacGyver energy — ready to take the bedroom fan apart and "start slicing people"
Jennifer's blunt read on Moira's sexuality ("She decided? Give me a break") and a real conversation about who books like this one are actually written to protect
Offred laying out, in her own words, exactly how Gilead seized power: the president shot, Congress machine-gunned, the blame pinned on "Islamic fanatics," and the Constitution suspended as a "temporary" measure
Jennifer's unscripted reveal that she already has a go bag and a German passport ready to go — tied back to her grandparents' stories of people disappearing in Nazi Germany
Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned?
This chapter pairs two things banners hate seeing together: a step-by-step account of how a democracy gets replaced by martial law, and an unflinching, funny conversation about Moira's sexuality and what "acceptable" relationships even means. That combination — political extremism plus open queerness — is exactly the kind of content that gets books like this one pulled from shelves.
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
Good News for Lefties — Beowulf Rochlen's good-news roundup.
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.
How did Gilead take power in The Handmaid's Tale?
In Chapter 28, Offred finally lays it out: the president was assassinated, Congress was machine-gunned, and the army declared a state of emergency, blaming Islamic fanatics. The Constitution was suspended as a "temporary" measure. Banned Camp breaks down how fast — and how quietly — an entire government can disappear in Margaret Atwood's telling.
Why does Offred's compucard get declined in The Handmaid's Tale?
Near the end of Chapter 28, Offred discovers her Compubank card no longer works — the first sign that the government has frozen every account belonging to a woman. Banned Camp's hosts read this as the exact moment the book's slow-building dread becomes an immediate, personal crisis, and talk through why it still feels uncomfortably familiar.
Topics Covered:
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 28, Offred, Moira, Luke, Ofglen, Robot, Beowulf Rochlen, government coup, censorship, women's rights, LGBTQ+ representation, economic control, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
33 min
August 20The Handmaid’s Tale Chapter 27: Two Women, One Whispered ”Neither Do I” | Banned Books Comedy
The Handmaid and Ofglen walk the summer streets past a franchise called Soul Scrolls, where machines print prayers to order so no human has to bother saying them. What starts as small talk about a prayer vending machine turns into the most dangerous conversation either woman has had in years, and Gilead reminds everyone exactly what's at stake before the chapter's out.
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 where Gilead is actually located, and reveals Margaret Atwood set her secret police headquarters at a real university on purpose
Dan solves a rebus puzzle and the answer is not safe for a Bible study
The pitch for a Soul Scrolls Patreon tier where Robot reads prayers in his "metallic voice" for $9.99 a month
Ofglen and Offred meet eyes in a store window reflection and risk everything on two words: "Neither do I"
The chapter's gut-punch ending, a man grabbed off the sidewalk in broad daylight while the street just keeps moving
Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned?
This chapter turns two women quietly finding out they can trust each other into an act of treason, and a religion you can outsource to a vending machine into something believable rather than absurd. That's the part that unsettles people: solidarity and commodified faith both being treated as dangerous.
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's segment name-checks his own show — give it a listen:
Good News for Lefties — Dave Roth's show, broadcasting the actual good news happening in America while Dan and Jennifer look for some themselves and come up empty.
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 is Soul Scrolls in The Handmaid's Tale?
Soul Scrolls is a Gilead storefront chain where machines called Holy Rollers print prayers on demand for a fee, then recycle the paper the moment the prayer is read aloud to an empty room. Nobody inside ever hears it. Banned Camp digs into this chapter-27 detail on their Season 11 reading of The Handmaid's Tale, unpacking why outsourcing faith to a machine feels so plausible.
What does Ofglen mean when she says "Neither do I" in The Handmaid's Tale?
Ofglen answers Offred's admission that she doesn't believe God listens to Soul Scrolls' machine-printed prayers with "Neither do I," a two-word confession that amounts to treason in Gilead. It's the moment Offred learns she's not alone. Banned Camp breaks down this chapter-27 turning point in their Season 11 reading of The Handmaid's Tale.
Topics Covered:
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 27, Offred, Ofglen, Luke, Moira, Robot, Beowulf, surveillance and informant culture, forbidden solidarity, commodified religion, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
34 min
August 18The Handmaid’s Tale Chapter 26: Why Didn’t Gilead Just Use IVF? | Banned Books Podcast
Chapter 26 finds Offred and the Commander drifting into something neither Dan nor Jennifer expected, which kicks off a debate about why Gilead does any of this the hard way when an obvious shortcut has existed since the 1970s.
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 and Jennifer's confused deep dive into why Gilead doesn't just use IVF, answered by a visibly exasperated Robot.
A word starts as "filching" and ends somewhere much dirtier
The secret Scrabble nights turn into the real power struggle
A five-star listener review gets read on air, immediately followed — and probably not by accident — by a Trump soundbite that proves the review's own point.
Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned?
This chapter's clinical, uncomfortable look at the Ceremony, and the forbidden intimacy that quietly grows out of it against every rule of the system, is exactly the kind of content that gets this book challenged — not because it's gratuitous, but because it makes coerced reproduction and stripped autonomy impossible to look away from.
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
Stick around after the chapter for more shows worth your feed:
Good News for Lefties — Beowulf's weekly good-news segment. This week: a Knox County, Tennessee school district that got so much pushback over banning 123 books that it's creating a new committee — with actual teachers and students on it — to review book bans going forward.
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 doesn't Gilead use IVF instead of the Ceremony in The Handmaid's Tale?
IVF existed years before Atwood wrote the book, but Gilead was never really about producing babies — it's about control. Lab fertilization means scientists, not the church and the state, control reproduction. Banned Camp's Chapter 26 episode digs into why, in Gilead's logic, you can't build a hierarchy out of a petri dish.
What does "a boat with no cargo, a chalice with no wine" mean in The Handmaid's Tale?
It's how Offred describes being reduced to pure function under Gilead — a body valued only for what it might carry. Chapter 26 marks a shift: the Commander starts treating her like a person instead of an object. Banned Camp's episode breaks down how a few secret games of Scrabble quietly change who actually holds the power in that room.
Topics Covered:
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 26, Commander, Serena Joy, Aunt Lydia, Rita, Cora, reproductive control, power and complicity, forbidden intimacy, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
31 min
August 13The Handmaid’s Tale Ch. 25: For Him, She’s Only a Whim | Banned Books Comedy
The Handmaid fakes her way through a dropped breakfast tray, spends an afternoon watching Serena Joy take her frustrations out on the tulips, and settles into her strange, quiet arrangement with the Commander — Scrabble, small gifts, and a forbidden magazine he keeps just for the two of them.
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 and Jennifer diagnose the most efficient way to build a shiv out of a breakfast tray
Serena Joy takes her rage out on the tulips, and the Handmaids have theories
The Commander pulls a forbidden Vogue magazine out of his desk drawer like it's the ultimate gift
Dan pitches the Commander for Undercover Boss
The exact line the Commander says that Robot can't let go of: "We can always look it up"
Why butter, of all things, becomes the funniest and saddest moment in the chapter
Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned?
This chapter's forbidden Vogue magazine and Scrabble sessions get right at what makes school boards nervous: a world where owning a dictionary or a fashion magazine is treated as more dangerous than the man who controls every other part of a woman's life.
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
Robot's not the only one keeping tabs on the news. Check out:
Good News for Lefties — Beowulf Rochlen's show covering the good stuff happening for progressives, since somebody has to.
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 the Commander give Offred an old Vogue magazine in The Handmaid's Tale?
In Chapter 25, the Commander hands Offred a forbidden pre-Gilead fashion magazine as a "gift," a small act of rule-breaking that says more about his loneliness and need for control than it does about generosity. Banned Camp digs into why this moment lands as one of the chapter's most uncomfortable, revealing the Commander's obliviousness to what he's actually asking of her.
Topics Covered:
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 25, Offred, the Commander, Serena Joy, Cora, Rita, Nick, forbidden objects, control, isolation, censorship, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
40 min
August 11The Handmaid’s Tale Ch. 24: The Mistress Who Said He Was Not a Monster | Banned Books Podcast
The Handmaid plays Scrabble, gets asked for a kiss she doesn't mean, and then spends a sleepless night remembering a TV documentary about a woman who spent her whole life insisting the man she loved wasn't a monster. Dan and Jennifer end up somewhere they didn't expect: a real conversation about how anyone learns to live next door to something horrible without ever looking at it directly.
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:
Aunt Lydia's "men are sex machines" line turns into a real back-and-forth about who that kind of thinking actually protects
Robot IDs the real 2023 film hiding behind Dan and Jennifer's half-remembered movie reference, and gets a genuinely dark joke out of it
Jennifer gets unusually honest about how much this book is starting to feel like a warning label
A closet, a scratched-in Latin phrase, and a laugh that isn't really a laugh
Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned?
This chapter's mistress-of-a-camp-commandant flashback is the kind of thing school boards flag as "graphic" or "inappropriate for age," when the actual discomfort is what it says about ordinary people convincing themselves not to see what's in front of them.
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
Good News for Lefties — Beowulf Rochlen's news segment, an entire show dedicated to the good news you're not hearing anywhere else. This week: a Bay Area family's decades-long collection of LGBTQ children's books just found a permanent public home.
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 a phrase scratched into the floor of a closet by a previous Handmaid, and it's not real Latin, it's schoolboy joke-Latin roughly meaning "don't let the bastards grind you down." In chapter 24, Offred finds it and can't decode it at all, since she has no dictionary, no library, and no internet. Banned Camp covers the discovery in their Season 11 reading, including the real story behind how the phrase gets recorded for the show.
What is "The Zone of Interest," the movie referenced in Chapter 24?
It's a 2023 film based on a Martin Amis novel, about the family of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss living an ordinary domestic life right next door to the camp. Dan and Jennifer connect it directly to what The Commander is doing in this chapter, and it becomes the backbone of this week's discussion.
Topics Covered:
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 24, Offred, Aunt Lydia, the Commander, Rudolf Höss, compartmentalization, patriarchy, propaganda and denial, Nolite te bastardes carborundorum, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
31 min
August 06The Handmaid’s Tale | Ch. 23: Not Like That, As If You Meant It
The Handmaid gets called into the one room in the house she's never been allowed to enter, and what's waiting for her isn't what anyone expects, her included. This episode, Dan and Jennifer read chapter 23 of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, and figure out why a board game turns out to be the most dangerous thing in Gilead.
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:
What's actually sitting on the shelves in the Commander's forbidden study (hint: it's not what anyone was bracing for)
The moment Offred imagines dismantling a toilet to make a weapon, and what it says about who she's been thinking about
Why "I want you to kiss me" turns out to be a much bigger deal than it sounds
Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned?
This chapter is a good example of why: a scene that's ostensibly "just" two people playing a board game turns out to be about consent, power, and what happens when wanting something can't be commanded into existing — exactly the kind of nuance that gets flattened when a book gets pulled for being "inappropriate."
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 brought the news this episode, and he's got a good one:
Good News for Lefties: Beowulf covers Baltimore libraries partnering with Johns Hopkins to hand out free gun locks and safes, an effort aimed at preventing suicides and accidental shootings, funded in part by a $245,000 federal investment secured by Rep. Kweisi Mfume.
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 the Commander want to play Scrabble in The Handmaid's Tale?
The Commander invites Offred into his forbidden study, a room full of books she's never been allowed near, expecting almost anything except what he actually asks for: a game of Scrabble. In a society that's stripped women of language and literacy, the request turns letters and words into something more intimate than anything physical. Banned Camp digs into this scene, and why the game matters more than the kiss that follows it.
What does "two-legged wombs, sacred vessels, ambulatory chalices" mean in The Handmaid's Tale?
It's Offred's description of how Gilead defines Handmaids: stripped of personality, entertainment value, or any trace of desirability, existing purely as vessels for reproduction. Banned Camp reads this passage in Season 11 and unpacks how deliberately Atwood strips away every trace of the Handmaids' humanity in the language itself.
Topics Covered:
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 23, Offred, the Commander, Serena Joy, Cora, Nick, Moira, Aunt Lydia, Scrabble, forbidden books, forgiveness and power, consent, reconstruction and memory, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
39 min

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

From the publisher's feed

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. If you've never read them, now's your chance to hear them for the first time with us. If you have, well, you already know what's coming and this will be your chance to laugh at us as we bumble our way through and get horrified over and over again.

11 seasons in, we've gotten pretty good at figuring out what these books are actually about and why the people pushing book banning and censorship don't want you to read them.

This season we're reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Every episode we read the next chapter out loud, talk about what we found, and try to figure out why this book scares the book banners so much. It probably has something to do with the political shit show we're all currently living through.

You know what's really insane right now? There are people in this country who own a lot of red hats but not a lot of library cards, and somehow those people ended up in charge of deciding what your kids can read.

Moms for Liberty, pudding lover Ron DeSantis, and basically every politician who thinks they know better than you have been pushing book banning and censorship for years. We're pretty sure none of them have actually read the books, because if they did they'd have a hard time explaining why Captain Underpants and Charlotte's Web are a threat to your kids' freedom.

So we read them ourselves to find out what's really in them.

We also have a fact-checking robot so we don't accidentally spread misinformation. Or what some people call "alternative facts."

Our listeners are called The Scary Book People. You'll fit right in.

New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. You can start anywhere, Robot catches you up fast.

Past seasons: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz, Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Kindred by Octavia E. Butler, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.