Episode Details

Japanese tourists walk through Gilead with cameras and smiles, and our protagonist can't stop staring at a woman's painted toenails. She used to dress like that. She used to be that. And somewhere between then and now, her mind changed... and she doesn't even know it 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:

• Dan discovers that "All Flesh" is a meat market, not a grocery store like Sprouts, and is briefly devastated
• Jennifer announces she's done dressing for men and has fully committed to flat Skechers and elastic waists
• The phrase "dark moist holes" gets said on a comedy podcast about banned books, and Dan immediately tries to make it the episode title before thinking better of it
• Dan and Jennifer connect Aunt Lydia's bumper sticker slogans to 1984, Brave New World, Trump, and the entire machinery of disinformation — and get there completely on their own
• The interpreter asks "are you happy?" and the only safe answer is...

Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned? This chapter shows exactly why. A woman stares at painted toenails and feels hungry for a life that was taken from her — and the book banners need you to believe that kind of hunger doesn't exist, that women adapt, that the system works. This chapter says otherwise.

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

Two shows worth adding to your feed this week:

• Good News for Lefties — Beowulf Rochlen brings actual good news from the fight against book banning, including a Massachusetts bill that just passed 153-3 to protect librarians from retaliation. Find it wherever you get your podcasts.
• Here's The Scoop from NBC News — daily news with NBC's journalists, hosted by Yasmeen Sassaman. Sharp, thoughtful, and actually informative. Listen daily 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