The Handmaid’s Tale Ch. 39: The Last Time She Saw Her Mother | Banned Books Comedy
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RSS Feed The Commander finally gets the Handmaid alone in a hotel room, and it’s the same hotel where she used to meet Luke. Hiding in the bathroom, she remembers the news Moira just gave her about her mother. Then she has to walk back out and face the man waiting on the bed.
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:
- Robot defines “lassitude” and tells Dan exactly how long he’s been living it
- Dan compares the Handmaid’s mom to Ted McGinley, and Robot turns into a full-blown fanboy
- Jennifer finds “something reassuring about the toilets” and confesses her own bathroom safe place
- Jennifer connects the mother’s disappearance to the vans rolling through America right now
Why was The Handmaid’s Tale banned?
Book banners point to scenes like this chapter’s hotel room. But the part that actually shakes you is a woman who vanished between ordinary visits, and a country where nobody writes down where people go.
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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Featured Clips
This episode includes short clips from Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” (live performance). 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 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.
What happened to Offred’s mother in The Handmaid’s Tale?
In Chapter 39, Moira tells Offred she saw her mother in a film about the Colonies, where “Unwomen” are sent to clean up toxic waste until it kills them. Offred remembers finding her mother’s apartment ransacked, with no trace of her. Banned Camp reads this chapter in Season 11 and talks about why that empty apartment feels so familiar today.
What happens in Chapter 39 of The Handmaid’s Tale?
The Commander takes Offred to a hotel room upstairs from Jezebel’s, the same hotel where she once met Luke. In the bathroom, she remembers her mother’s disappearance. Then she joins the Commander on the bed and has to fake it. Banned Camp covers the chapter’s mix of grief, power, and dark comedy in Season 11.
Topics Covered:
The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter 39, Offred, the Commander, Moira, Luke, Serena Joy, Nick, the Marthas, grief and the last goodbye, power and consent, disappearance and state violence, Dolly Parton, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast
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