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

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

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

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

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.

The Handmaid goes to her monthly doctor's exam, and it turns into something much more dangerous than a checkup. Then, in the bath, she disappears into a memory of the daughter she lost, and has to compose herself back into someone who can survive dinner. Dan and Jennifer read both chapters live, no spoilers, no idea what's coming.

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 doctor's exam that starts clinical and turns into something much more dangerous, including an offer nobody should have to consider

"This is how I know she's not really a ghost. If she were a ghost, she would be the same age always"

The tattoo, the mystery of the butter, and why "a made thing, not something born" might be the saddest line in the book so far

Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned?
This episode covers a gynecological exam that reads less like medicine and more like coercion, plus a mother grieving a child she's told to stop hoping for. Books that describe reproductive control and state power over women's bodies this plainly tend to be the ones school boards call "inappropriate" — which is usually code for "too accurate."

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 promo swap and Beowulf's pick:

Here's The Scoop from NBC News — A daily podcast hosted by Yasmin Vossoughian taking a deep dive into the day's top stories with NBC News journalists, described as sharp, thoughtful, and informative.

Good News for Lefties — Beowulf Rochlén's show, for when you need actual good news for once.

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 "there is no such thing as a sterile man" mean in The Handmaid's Tale?

In Gilead, infertility is officially blamed only on women, sterile men don't legally exist. Banned Camp's fact-checking Robot points out this isn't fiction; historically, infertility was almost always blamed on women, and male fertility wasn't routinely tested until the 20th century.

Topics Covered:

The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Offred, Aunt Lydia, Cora, Rita, Serena Joy, Luke, Moira, reproductive control, infertility, forced medical exams, grief, memory, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast