The Handmaid's Tale Chapter 38. 1: Reunited in a Pink Bathroom | Banned Books Comedy
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RSS Feed The Handmaid slips into the women's washroom of the hotel club, where an Aunt in a purple caftan and gold eyeshadow guards the door. Inside, behind the smoke and the pink walls, she finds Moira. Then Moira starts whispering the story of how she got out. This is the first half of the chapter, and it ends on a cliffhanger at a door.
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:
- Jennifer wonders if the Hadron Collider put us on a different timeline. Robot says no, then gets pulled into Dan's Fruit of the Loom argument
- Moira says "nobody gets out of here except in a black van," and Robot explains what that really means
- Dan explains how he'd hold the resistance's mailing list in his head: milk, bread, eggs, and a trip home with Pop-Tarts and blue cheese
- Constitutional law professor Corey Brettschneider joins PPP to talk about the First Amendment and what the founders would think of Trump
Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned?
This chapter shows a secret club run by the same men who outlawed that kind of club. Moira calls it "screwing on the altar." The book has been challenged for its sexual content and for being "offensive to Christians." Moira's remark is the exact kind of religious 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).
Our Guest in PPP: Corey Brettschneider
Corey is a professor at Brown University, a constitutional law expert, and the cohost (with comedian John Fugelsang) of The Oath and the Office podcast. In this episode he explains the First Amendment's ban on establishing a religion, why authoritarians go after free speech first, and how the founders would feel about today's presidency.
- The Oath and the Office podcast (with Corey Brettschneider and John Fugelsang): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oath-and-the-office/id1795734509
- The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It (W. W. Norton, 2024): https://bookshop.org/a/20953/9781324006275
- His earlier book, The Oath and the Office: A Guide to the Constitution for Future Presidents: https://bookshop.org/a/20953/9780393652123
- Corey's website: https://www.coreybrettschneider.com
Banworthy to Bingeworthy
Beowulf Rochlen brings us the racist beginnings of book bans in America, from an article by the National Education Association.
- Good News for Lefties: Beowulf's show about good news for progressives, broadcast from his "socialist safe house" deep in the Oregon woods.
Shout-Out: Island Bookstore
It's National Banned Books Week. Island Bookstore on the Outer Banks (Corolla, Duck, and Kitty Hawk) is taking 10% off every banned book in the store on Saturday, October 10th. You can order online at https://www.islandbookstoreobx.com
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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 38 of The Handmaid's Tale?
Offred slips into the hotel's women's washroom, guarded by an Aunt in a purple caftan, and finds her best friend Moira inside. In whispers, Moira tells her how she escaped the Red Center. Banned Camp reads the first half of the chapter in Season 11, then stops on a cliffhanger.
What does "nobody gets out of here except in a black van" mean in The Handmaid's Tale?
Moira means nobody leaves the hotel club on their own. In Gilead, black vans belong to the Eyes, the secret police, and a van pulling up means someone is being taken away. Banned Camp's fact-checking Robot breaks it down in Season 11, and Dan has his own theory first.
Topics Covered:
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood, Chapter Thirty-Eight, Offred, Moira, the Commander, Aunt Elizabeth, Luke, Nick, Corey Brettschneider, John Fugelsang, The Oath and the Office, The Presidents and the People, Beowulf Rochlen, religious hypocrisy, First Amendment, separation of church and state, resistance and memory, Mandela effect, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast
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