Show notes
The Handmaid gets called into the one room in the house she's never been allowed to enter, and what's waiting for her isn't what anyone expects, her included. This episode, Dan and Jennifer read chapter 23 of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, and figure out why a board game turns out to be the most dangerous thing in Gilead.
This episode includes AI-voiced content, including our trusty fact-checking robot, Robot.
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:
What's actually sitting on the shelves in the Commander's forbidden study (hint: it's not what anyone was bracing for)
The moment Offred imagines dismantling a toilet to make a weapon, and what it says about who she's been thinking about
Why "I want you to kiss me" turns out to be a much bigger deal than it sounds
Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned?
This chapter is a good example of why: a scene that's ostensibly "just" two people playing a board game turns out to be about consent, power, and what happens when wanting something can't be commanded into existing — exactly the kind of nuance that gets flattened when a book gets pulled for being "inappropriate."
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
Beowulf brought the news this episode, and he's got a good one:
Good News for Lefties: Beowulf covers Baltimore libraries partnering with Johns Hopkins to hand out free gun locks and safes, an effort aimed at preventing suicides and accidental shootings, funded in part by a $245,000 federal investment secured by Rep. Kweisi Mfume.
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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 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.
Why does the Commander want to play Scrabble in The Handmaid's Tale?
The Commander invites Offred into his forbidden study, a room full of books she's never been allowed near, expecting almost anything except what he actually asks for: a game of Scrabble. In a society that's stripped women of language and literacy, the request turns letters and words into something more intimate than anything physical. Banned Camp digs into this scene, and why the game matters more than the kiss that follows it.
What does "two-legged wombs, sacred vessels, ambulatory chalices" mean in The Handmaid's Tale?
It's Offred's description of how Gilead defines Handmaids: stripped of personality, entertainment value, or any trace of desirability, existing purely as vessels for reproduction. Banned Camp reads this passage in Season 11 and unpacks how deliberately Atwood strips away every trace of the Handmaids' humanity in the language itself.
Topics Covered:
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 23, Offred, the Commander, Serena Joy, Cora, Nick, Moira, Aunt Lydia, Scrabble, forbidden books, forgiveness and power, consent, reconstruction and memory, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast