The Handmaid's Tale Chapter 37: The Commander's Secret Club | Banned Books Podcast
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RSS Feed The Commander walks the Handmaid into a secret club hidden inside the same hotel she used to visit with Luke. It's packed with powerful men and women in scavenged costumes, all the things Gilead publicly banned. Then, across the room, Offred spots someone she never expected to see again.
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:
- Dan asks the only question that matters about the club: is it a BYO situation?
- Jennifer points out the saddest part of all those costumes: before Gilead, women chose to wear these things for themselves
- Dan makes an on-mic prediction halfway through the chapter. Then he gets to gloat about it
- Dan asks why he and Jennifer don't have a secret signal. Jennifer is not interested in meeting him in the bathroom
- Beowulf brings good news about books behind bars, and Dan tells a story about a Flock camera and a very confused old lady
Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned?
This chapter shows the men who outlawed lingerie, makeup, and "immoral" clothing quietly keeping all of it for themselves in a private club. A government that bans something in public and enjoys it in secret is exactly the kind of hypocrisy book banners don't want students reading about.
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 Rochlen from Good News for Lefties joins with good news about access to books for incarcerated people.
- Good News for Lefties: Beowulf's show covering good news for progressives, one story at a time, broadcasting from his "socialist safe house" deep in the Oregon woods.
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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 discusses The Handmaid's Tale chapter by chapter?
Yes. Banned Camp breaks down a different banned book every season, one chapter at a time, through comedy, commentary, and discussion. Neither host has read ahead, so you're discovering the story together in real time. Season 11 covers The Handmaid's Tale. Every episode mixes a short reading with reactions, a fact-checking Robot, and a look at why the book gets banned. We always encourage listeners to read along with their own copy.
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 happens in Chapter 37 of The Handmaid's Tale?
The Commander brings Offred, disguised in a feathered costume, into a secret club for officials inside an old hotel. The club is full of women in scavenged outfits from before Gilead. While the Commander gets drinks, Offred recognizes someone from her past and gets a silent signal. Banned Camp reads and reacts to the whole scene in Season 11.
What does "you merely have different women" mean in The Handmaid's Tale?
The Commander claims women once wore many different clothes to trick men into feeling they had many different women. Offred turns his logic around: now that Gilead has taken the clothes away, the men simply use different women. He misses the irony completely. Banned Camp's fact-checking Robot breaks down the line in this episode.
Topics Covered:
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter Thirty-Seven, Offred, the Commander, Moira, Luke, the Marthas, hypocrisy of power, women's autonomy under Gilead, friendship and resistance, Sesame Street, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast
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