Episode Details

🎉 Season 11 begins Tuesday, June 9th — The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

The final chapter is half a page long. It takes about two minutes to read. The discussion takes considerably longer. Beowulf joins Dan and Jennifer for the first time during the actual reading, and what they discover in those few sentences changes how they see the entire book. Also: a flashback to a wigwam, an organ recital, and the origin story of a podcast that almost was.

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 all three hosts realize where Holden has been telling this story from — and Dan's anger at what the parents did
• Dan's 1984 PTSD: "Even when we do Charlotte's Web, I think that pig is gonna die. Burlap bag. Rats."
• Beowulf's observation that changes everything: "He was his own catcher in the rye. He caught himself."
• Dan's hopeful reinterpretation of the title — catching kids at the bottom and helping them survive, not preventing the fall
• Jennifer's refusal to accept the world as it is: "I don't accept it. I will always fight against that."
• The Season 4 flashback featuring the world-famous Wigwam restaurant in Kewaskum, Wisconsin
• The origin story of Cereal Killers — the podcast that almost was

Why was The Catcher in the Rye banned? The people who ban this book say they do it to protect children. This is a book about a kid whose entire reason for existing is to protect children. They are banning a book that agrees with 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).

Coming Up Next:

• Catcher in the Crosshairs — a special true crime episode exploring why The Catcher in the Rye has been found at some of the most infamous crime scenes in American history
• Season 11: The Handmaid's Tale — begins June 9th

Banworthy to Bingeworthy If you liked Banned Camp, check out these podcasts we think you'll enjoy:

• Good News for Lefties and America — Posit