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

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
August 04The Handmaid’s Tale | Ch. 22: Lava Beneath the Crust of Daily Life | Why Books Get Banned
The Handmaid comes home from the birth exhausted, lies down under the ceiling wreath, and tells herself a better story. It's the story of what happened to Moira, passed hand to hand through four different people before it reached her. What follows involves an overflowing toilet, a piece of plumbing hardware, and a woman walking straight out the front gate in someone else's clothes. Whether any of it actually happened is the argument Dan and Jennifer cannot settle.
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's take on Aunt Elizabeth being assigned to "shitter gargoyle duty" again
Moira tells Aunt Elizabeth to remember she didn't kill her, and both hosts agree that defense is not going to hold up in court
Dan calls a major-league prediction on Moira's future and tries to get Robot to open a betting market on it
Jennifer builds the case that Aunt Lydia planted the whole story on purpose, and it's a better theory than Dan's
A story about Dan's grandmother, a one-legged man named Joe who sold pencils, and the first business question five-year-old Dan ever asked
Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned?
This chapter is the closest the book has come to a straight adventure story, and there's nothing in it a school board could point to. That's the problem. What's actually dangerous here is Moira herself — a woman who takes a machine apart, holds her captor at knifepoint, refuses to kill her, and walks out. Books that show women escaping engineered obedience tend to make the people engineering it nervous.
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
One show worth your time this week:
Good News for Lefties — Beowulf Rochlén's roundup of the political news that actually went right, which this week means following the money on a book-banning group that suddenly can't afford to bankroll school board candidates anymore. Find it wherever you get 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.
How does Moira escape in The Handmaid's Tale?
Moira dismantles a toilet at the Red Center, removes the long metal lever inside the tank, and uses it to jab Aunt Elizabeth in the ribs while pretending it's a knife. She takes the aunt's cattle prod and clothes, ties her behind the furnace, and walks out the front gate using her pass. Banned Camp covers the escape in Chapter 22 of their Season 11 reading, including whether the story is even true.
Who is Janine in The Handmaid's Tale?
Janine is a handmaid at the Red Center who is repeatedly broken down by group shaming and becomes desperate for approval. In Chapter 22, Aunt Lydia recruits her as an informant to find out whether anyone helped Moira escape. Banned Camp digs into whether Janine is a villain or just someone who has been kicked too many times to do anything else.
Topics Covered:
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 22, Offred, Moira, Janine, Aunt Lydia, Aunt Elizabeth, Dolores, Alma, Cora, escape and resistance, rumor as a tool of control, informants and surveillance, 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.
32 min
July 30The Handmaid’s Tale Ch. 21: You Wanted a Women’s Culture | Banned Books Comedy
Chapter 21 is the birth chapter. Janine delivers at the Warren household in full Gilead ceremony — the wife on the birthing stool, the Handmaids chanting, the baby named Angela and handed away before Janine can hold her. Offred rides home leaking fake milk, holding a ghost baby in her lap. And then Margaret Atwood drops an ice pick of a closing line that reframes everything that just happened.
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:
Jennifer's point that the natural birth requirement isn't anti-science, it's anti-woman — and why that distinction matters
The Kool-Aid surviving the apocalypse observation (you'll know it when you hear it)
The closing two paragraphs of the chapter read aloud — "You wanted a women's culture. Well, now there is one."
Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned?
Chapter 21 shows exactly why. The birth ceremony isn't graphic in a conventional sense — it's grotesque in a political sense. A woman delivers a baby surrounded by women performing joy, and the baby is handed to someone else before the mother can catch her breath. The book gets banned because it makes this feel plausible. Because it already happened, in pieces, in different places, across history. That's the part that scares people.
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're looking for more to listen to, check out what we're loving right now:
Good News for Lefties — Beowulf Rochlén's weekly segment delivers actual good news for progressives who are tired of doom scrolling. It's in every episode of Banned Camp and available as a standalone show wherever you listen.
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 happens in Chapter 21 of The Handmaid's Tale?
Chapter 21 is the birth chapter. Offred attends Janine's delivery at the Warren household, where the entire Gilead birth ceremony plays out — Handmaids chanting, the Wife perched on the birthing stool above Janine, and the baby named Angela handed away the moment she arrives. Banned Camp covers this chapter in full, including Atwood's devastating closing lines about what a "women's culture" actually looks like when men design it.
What does "fake milk" mean in The Handmaid's Tale?
After the birth ceremony, Offred rides home leaking what she calls "fake milk" — her body producing milk in response to the birth even though she didn't deliver the baby. This is a real physiological phenomenon called induced lactation, where hormonal shifts or proximity to a newborn can trigger milk production. Banned Camp covers this in Chapter 21 with a Robot fact-check on exactly how it works and why Atwood included it.
Topics Covered:
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 21, Offred, Janine, the birth ceremony, Angela, induced lactation, fake milk, Gilead, the Wives, the Handmaids, Aunt Elizabeth, women's autonomy, reproductive control, religion and punishment, 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.
29 min
July 28The Handmaid’s Tale Ch. 20: The Birth Ceremony & The Propaganda Film | Banned Books Podcast
Chapter 20 takes Offred to a birth ceremony at the home of another Commander — a ritualized, militarized event that reveals just how thoroughly Gilead has colonized every human experience, including childbirth. Then Aunt Lydia dims the lights and starts the film. What Offred sees on that screen will change everything she thought she understood about how she got here.
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 birth ceremony at Warren's house — Dan and Jennifer try to figure out who the actual victim is in this entire arrangement and land somewhere uncomfortable
Robot's fact-check on the Aunts as Gilead's female paramilitary — why a midwife was never part of the plan
The Karl Marx slogan flip — Gilead rewrote "from each according to his ability" and Jennifer catches exactly what they did with it
The propaganda film and the feminist magazines — same material, completely opposite purpose, and Atwood did it on purpose
Offred's mother on the screen — young, serious, fist in the air, holding a Take Back the Night banner — and what it costs Offred to see her there
Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned?
Chapter 20 contains the exact content that makes book banners most uncomfortable — explicit depictions of sexual violence shown in a political context, and a direct argument that the people claiming to protect women are the same ones controlling them. That argument lands in 2026 the same way it landed in 1985.
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
We recommend these podcasts to our scary book people:
Good News for Lefties — Beowulf Rochlén brings you actual good news from the progressive world, including this week's deeply satisfying update on Moms for Liberty's ongoing implosion.
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 happens in Chapter 20 of The Handmaid's Tale?
Chapter 20 follows Offred to a birth ceremony at another Commander's home, where the Handmaid Janine is giving birth and the wives perform a ritual pretending the birth belongs to them. Aunt Lydia then screens propaganda films at the Red Center — footage that includes the same material feminist activists once burned to protect women, now weaponized to convince Handmaids that Gilead saved them. Offred sees her own mother in the footage, young and smiling at a Take Back the Night rally. Banned Camp covers this chapter in Season 11, including the Karl Marx slogan Gilead rewrote and why Atwood put Offred's mother on that screen on purpose.
What is the birth ceremony in The Handmaid's Tale?
The birth ceremony is a ritualized event in Gilead where the entire district of Handmaids and Wives gathers when a Handmaid goes into labor. The Commander's Wife lies on the floor mimicking labor while the Handmaid gives birth on a birthing stool positioned between the Wife's legs — maintaining the fiction that the child belongs to the Wife. Banned Camp discusses this ceremony in their Chapter 20 episode, including Dan's observation that the Wives may actually be the most comprehensively deceived people in all of Gilead.
Topics Covered:
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 20, Offred, Aunt Lydia, Janine, Warren, birth ceremony, birthing stool, propaganda film, Take Back the Night, Karl Marx, Gilead, Handmaids, Aunts, Red Center, feminist movement, book banning, censorship, banned books podcast, comedy podcast, literary analysis

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
34 min
July 23The Handmaid’s Tale Ch. 18-19: Believing the Impossible to Stay Alive | Banned Books Comedy
The handmaid lies in bed and builds three impossible versions of what happened to Luke — all of them contradictory, all of them believed at the same time. Then a red siren pulls up to the house and everything shifts to Janine, who's about to give birth in a world where the women feeding her cookies will call her a whore the second she leaves the room.
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:
Offred constructs three completely different fates for Luke and believes all of them simultaneously — and why that might be the sanest thing she does
Dan's theory about why nobody in a dictatorship would actually wonder what they did wrong, and Jennifer connecting it to ICE detention centers
The Stockdale Paradox — how POWs who survived Vietnam connect directly to what Offred is doing
Jennifer's discovery that Atwood thinks God looks like an egg, and Dan's concern about what happens when you get to heaven and find out Cory Booker is running the resistance
The wives petting Janine like a golden retriever, feeding her cookies, calling her "practically family" — and what they say the second she leaves the room
Dan makes a case that the book was banned because Margaret Atwood compared God to an egg. His old boss Keith also looked like an egg.
Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned?
These chapters feature Offred's reference to masturbation, a graphic imagined description of Luke shot in the head, and Atwood comparing God to an egg — the kind of passage that gets a book pulled from shelves for being "offensive to Christians." The wives calling handmaids "little whores" while treating them like pets doesn't help either.
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
Every week we highlight podcasts worth your time:
Good News for Lefties — Banned Camp's own Beowulf Rochlén delivers the week's best news for progressives, including a story about Indiana librarians being trained to help people in mental health crises. Libraries literally saving lives.
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
Featured Clips
This episode includes short clips from "Hey There Hobo" by The Hackensaw Boys. All rights belong to their respective owners and are used here under fair use for the purpose of cultural commentary and education.
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 the Birthmobile in The Handmaid's Tale?
The Birthmobile is a red van that picks up Handmaids when one of them goes into labor. There's also a blue one for the Wives. The Handmaids sit on benches behind curtains with no view, while the Wives get upholstered seats facing forward. Banned Camp's reading of chapters 18-19 covers the Birthmobile's arrival and what happens when Janine goes into labor.
What are "unbabies" in The Handmaid's Tale?
Unbabies are deformed infants born as a result of widespread environmental contamination — radiation, toxic chemicals, and pollution. In Gilead, prenatal testing has been outlawed, so there's no way to know until birth. Banned Camp discusses this in their Season 11 episode covering chapters 18-19, connecting it to real-world restrictions on reproductive healthcare.
Topics Covered:
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 18, Chapter 19, Offred, Luke, Janine, Ofwarren, Serena Joy, Nick, Aunt Lydia, Moira, The Hackensaw Boys, hope and survival, forced birth, reproductive 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.
37 min
July 21The Handmaid’s Tale Ch. 16-17: Nobody Wanted to Be in That Room | Banned Books Comedy
Chapter 16 finally takes us inside the Ceremony — the state-sanctioned act that gets this book banned more than anything else. It's not what you'd expect. Then Chapter 17 sends Offred wandering through the dark house with butter on her face and a stolen daffodil, straight into an encounter she didn't plan and isn't sure she can trust.
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 tries to reverse-engineer the physical logistics of the Ceremony using a mechanic scooter and some creative problem-solving
Jennifer's observation that nobody in the room wants to be there — and what that says about 2026
The moment Jennifer reads "the Commander fucks" out loud and Banned Camp drops its first unbleeped F-bomb of the season
Dan and Jennifer debate whether Elon Musk would be a Commander in Gilead (Jennifer's answer is immediate and confident)
Jennifer immediately distrusts Nick after the kiss — Dan thinks it's romantic, Jennifer is not having it
Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned?
Chapter 16 is the scene book banners point to most — explicit sexual positioning, the word "fuck," bodily fluids. But Atwood wrote a scene where three people perform a joyless duty that nobody wants, stripped of every trace of intimacy. The book gets banned for depicting sex. It's actually depicting the absence of it.
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
Every week we shout out podcasts worth your time:
Good News for Lefties — Beowulf Rochlén brings you the stories the doom-scrolling algorithm doesn't want you to see. This week: a California library is hosting Mexican wrestlers who body-slam each other between the bookshelves to get kids reading. It's called Lucha Libro and it's exactly as amazing as it sounds.
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 the Ceremony in The Handmaid's Tale?
The Ceremony is Gilead's ritualized act of conception, based on the biblical story of Rachel and Bilhah. The Handmaid lies between the Wife's legs while the Commander has intercourse with her — all three fully clothed, no intimacy, no pleasure. Banned Camp's reading of Chapter 16 covers the full scene, including why it's the most cited reason the book gets banned despite having, as Robot puts it, "less heat than a dentist appointment."
Why does Offred use butter as lotion in The Handmaid's Tale?
The Wives decreed that Handmaids can't have hand lotion or face cream — their bodies are containers, and appearance doesn't matter. So the Handmaids smuggle butter from meals and rub it into their skin in secret. It's not about skincare. As Offred explains, as long as they do this, they can believe they'll be touched again in love or desire someday. Banned Camp explores this scene in their Chapter 17 discussion.
Topics Covered:
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 16, Chapter 17, Offred, Serena Joy, the Commander, Nick, the Ceremony, butter as resistance, bodily autonomy, consent, Elon Musk, Moms for Liberty, Ron DeSantis, 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.
35 min
July 16The Handmaid’s Tale Ch. 15: Blessed Are the Silent | Banned Books Comedy
The commander unlocks the only Bible in the house, reads the parts that serve him, and leads a ceremony nobody in the room wants to be part of. Meanwhile, the handmaid flashes back to her friend Moira's escape attempt from the Red Center, a plan involving faked scurvy, an ambulance ride, and consequences that will stick with you long after the chapter ends.
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 explains the very specific type of guy who looks like a "vodka ad in a glossy magazine" and somehow ends up wanting perimenopause medication
Robot reveals that "Blessed are the silent" was never in the Bible and the aunts invented it to replace "Blessed are the meek"
Dan connects a pattern across three dystopian books: 1984's telescreens, Brave New World's hypnopedia, and Gilead's locked Bible
Moira's scurvy escape plan and Robot's medical breakdown of what actually happens when you stop taking vitamin C
Dan's plan to set calendar reminders to stop eating fruit six weeks before any event he doesn't want to attend
The sugar packets the women stole for Moira, not because she needed sugar, but because it was the only thing they could find to give
Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned?
This chapter shows a man reading selectively from a locked Bible while the women in the room have no way to verify what he's saying. The aunts altered the Beatitudes to say "Blessed are the silent." That's not anti-Christian. That's showing what happens when people in power get to decide which parts of scripture you're allowed to hear, and that's exactly why this book gets challenged.
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
Every week we share podcasts worth checking out. Here's this week's pick:
Good News for Lefties — Beowulf Rochlen brings you the good news the mainstream media isn't covering. This week: libraries in Oregon are lending trail cameras to patrons to help track porcupine populations, turning everyday library visitors into citizen scientists. Find it wherever you listen to 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.
What are the Beatitudes in The Handmaid's Tale?
In Chapter 15, the aunts play a recording of the Beatitudes during lunch at the Red Center, but they've altered the text. "Blessed are the meek" becomes "Blessed are the silent," replacing a word that implies choice with one that demands obedience. Offred notices but has no way to prove it. Banned Camp's fact-checking Robot breaks down exactly what was changed and why it matters.
What happens to Moira in Chapter 15 of The Handmaid's Tale?
Moira deliberately stops taking vitamin C to fake scurvy, gets sent out in an ambulance, and attempts to escape using the guards as her opportunity. The plan fails. She's dragged back to the Red Center, taken to the old Science Lab, and beaten with steel cables until her feet swell beyond recognition. Banned Camp covers this scene and its real-world parallels in their Season 11 reading.
Topics Covered:
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 15, Offred, Commander, Serena Joy, Moira, Aunt Lydia, Nick, the Beatitudes, the ceremony, scurvy, Bible as weapon, Donald Trump, 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.
36 min
July 14The Handmaid’s Tale Chapter 14: Is It Bad Enough Yet? | Banned Books Comedy
The Handmaid kneels in a sitting room full of expensive objects, waiting for the Ceremony to begin. She's surrounded by velvet drapes, a china cupid, and dried flowers, and she realizes she's no different than any of them. Then the chapter takes a hard turn into a flashback nobody saw coming, and suddenly she's in a car with forged passports, hard-boiled eggs, and a drugged child heading for the Canadian border.
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's theory about Serena Joy's "cuck chair" and what the sitting room is actually designed for
Jennifer's observation that all the "civilized" objects in the room are set dressing for something beastly
The moment Dan asks Jennifer to roleplay as a uterus in a fancy room, and her answer gets unexpectedly real
Nick touching Offred's foot with his boot while everyone else is in the room
Jennifer comparing the Gilead news broadcast to 1984's permanent war, and whether any of it is real
Jennifer revealing she's actually planning escape routes to Canada from Washington state, and the moment Dan tells her to just go now while she still can
Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned?
This chapter shows a woman kneeling in a room designed for a ritual she has no power to refuse, watching state propaganda she knows is fake but wants to believe anyway. The book has been challenged for showing how religion and tradition can be used to strip women of their autonomy, and Chapter 14 puts the reader inside that experience with unbearable specificity.
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 like Banned Camp, check out these shows we think are worth your time:
Good News for Lefties — Beowulf Rochlén delivers daily good news stories for progressives who are tired of doom-scrolling. This week he found a Republican governor who actually vetoed a book ban. Twice. Find him wherever you find 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
Featured Clips
This episode includes short clips from a 1977 Sucrets TV commercial. All rights belong to their respective owners and are used here under fair use for the purpose of cultural commentary and education.
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 "the Ceremony" in The Handmaid's Tale?
The Ceremony is Gilead's ritualized sexual act where the Commander, his Wife, and the Handmaid are all present. Chapter 14 builds toward it as Offred kneels in the sitting room waiting for the household to assemble. Banned Camp's reading of this chapter explores the power dynamics of a room where nobody actually wants to be there.
Does Offred try to escape in The Handmaid's Tale?
Chapter 14 reveals a flashback to Offred's family attempting to flee to Canada with forged passports and a drugged child. The escape attempt is told mid-chapter without warning, cutting from the sitting room to a car on a Saturday morning. Banned Camp's hosts don't see it coming, and their real-time reactions are part of what makes the episode hit so hard.
Topics Covered:
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 14, Offred, Serena Joy, Nick, Commander, Luke, Cora, Rita, the Ceremony, propaganda, escape to Canada, Quakers, 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.
36 min
July 09The Handmaid’s Tale Chapter 13: Pig Balls, Pigeons, and the Girl Who Stopped Fighting | Why Books Get Banned
The Handmaid describes the crushing boredom of life in the Commander's house, then flashes back to the Red Center where women are drugged, conditioned with ballet music during pelvic exercises, and forced to participate in something called "testifying" — where a girl named Janine is made to say her own gang rape was her fault. Moira arrives with a bruise and a bad attitude. And then the chapter ends with the worst dream Offred has ever had.
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:
Jennifer invents a pelvic exercise called "Feldenkrais" that does not exist in any language, and Robot has to explain what a Kegel actually is
The pigeon experiment — three groups pressing a button for food, and what happens when the food stops coming
Jennifer's raw, personal reaction to how fast rights can disappear overnight
The chapter's devastating final scene and how it connects to something happening in America right now
A listener comment about Moms for Liberty and Harvey Kellogg
Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned?
This chapter forces readers to watch a room full of women chant "her fault" at a 14-year-old rape victim — and then watch that girl internalize it within a week. Book banners call it "inappropriate content." The real reason they want it gone is that any student who reads this scene will recognize victim-blaming as a system of control, not just something bad people do. That's a lesson that doesn't go away.
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're looking for more podcasts that pair well with what we're doing here, check out Good News for Lefties — Beowulf Rochlén's show dedicated to finding the good news you're not hearing about. This week he covers bookstores in Utah teaming up with LGBTQ organizations to give away free copies of banned books. Find it wherever you listen to 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.
What is "testifying" in The Handmaid's Tale?
Testifying is a group ritual at the Red Center where Handmaids-in-training are forced to confess their past experiences — often sexual assaults — and the other women chant that it was the victim's fault. It's a conditioning technique designed to break women into accepting blame for violence done to them. Banned Camp covers testifying in their Season 11 reading of The Handmaid's Tale, exploring how the scene mirrors real-world victim-blaming and how quickly conditioning can work.
Who is Moira in The Handmaid's Tale?
Moira is Offred's best friend from before Gilead who arrives at the Red Center in Chapter 13 with a bruise on her face and her old clothes still on. She's defiant, blunt, and the first person in the story who openly calls the Red Center what it is. Banned Camp's hosts immediately identify her as a potential turning point in the book — someone who might remind Offred not to accept what's happening.
Topics Covered:
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 13, Offred, Moira, Janine, Aunt Lydia, Aunt Helena, Luke, Dolores, victim blaming, conditioning, Red Center, testifying, Kegel exercises, pigeon experiment, boredom as control, ICE family separation, Roe v Wade, reproductive rights, 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
July 07 This is Banned Camp - a comedy podcast where we read banned books out loud and try to figure out why they were banned in the first place.
Season 11 of Banned Camp is here. This time we're reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.
It's one of the most banned books in America. Pulled from school libraries. Challenged by school boards. And we're going to read every page of it out loud so you don't have to.
Banned Camp is a comedy podcast about banned books. Every season we pick a different book that someone somewhere decided you shouldn't read. Then we read it, react to it, and make fun of the people who tried to hide it from you.
If you like books, free speech, and laughing at censorship, hit subscribe. New episodes drop weekly.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
1 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.