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The Handmaid’s Tale Ch. 20: The Birth Ceremony & The Propaganda Film | Banned Books Podcast
Description
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).
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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