81. The Handmaid's Tale (Part 1: Why It's Banned)

Welcome to season 5 of The Rogue Librarians!  We are opening with a discussion of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.  Published in 1986, this dystopian tale of a religious revolution in the U.S. only seems to get more relevant with time. In Part 1 we learn a little about the history of the book and of course, why it’s been banned.  We are joined by a special guest, Rogue name Undine, who brings insight and art history to the conversation.  Materials discussed during the podcast include:In Banned Bits: Article Why This School District Used A.I. to Help Determine Which Books to Ban, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Aug 2023.In Why It’s Banned:  Article  Why The Handmaid's Tale was banned from schools - The Mirror US, 10 Apr 2025 Article Why was The Handmaid's Tale banned?, MSN.com, 22 Mar 2026Article  There’s a simple reason The Handmaid’s Tale was banned in the US, from the website Dexerto 10 Apr 2025The ALA’s Censorship Search Portal | Banned Books In ContextBlog Post The Handmaid's Tale: 10 intriguing facts about Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel, CBC-Radio (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), Apr 26, 2017  No Balm in Gilead for Margaret Atwood, The New York Times on the Web, Books column, February 17, 1986Web page Timeline of Legal History of Women in the United States, National Women’s History Alliance, Project 2025, The Heritage Foundation, 2023Project 2025 Explained, The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)Utah Philips, Folksinger, Storyteller and Activist. Decree 770 - Reference.org Paintings Depicting the Rape of the Sabine WomenPietro da Cortona, Rape of the Sabines, 1629-1630Nicolas Poussin, The Rape of the Sabine Women, 1635Peter Paul Rubins, The Rape of the Sabine Women, 1640Jacques-Louis David, The Intervention of The Sabine Women, 1799Pablo Picasso, The Rape of the Sabines, 1962Friedrich Christof Steinhammer, Rape of the Sabine Women, 1622Album - Sabine Women, 271+ Images Related MediaMovie The Handmaid’s Tale directed by Volker Schlöndorff, 1990Opera The Handmaid’s Tale, written by , Poul Ruders, alongside librettist, Paul Bentley, 2000TV Series The Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu, 2017-2025The Handmaid's Tale: The Graphic Novel, adapted by Renée Nault, 2019Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, The Handmaid’s Tale, 2022Join the conversation at therogelibrarians.com or follow @RogueLibrariansPod on Instagram and Facebook. You can support the podcast on Patreon at patreon.com/roguelibrarians. “Any book worth banning is a book worth reading.” — Isaac Asimov