Episode Details

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 b