About this episode
The Catcher in the Rye Ch. 8 | Banned Books Comedy Podcast
Holden Caulfield hates phonies. He's been cataloguing them for seven
chapters. So why does he spend an entire train ride lying through his
teeth to make a stranger feel good about her bully son? Chapter 8 is
where Salinger quietly reveals that Holden is more complicated — and
more kind — than anyone gives him credit for.
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:
- Holden introduces himself as Rudolph Schmidt — the name of his
janitor — to avoid giving his real identity to a stranger on a train
- The mother describes her towel-snapping bully son as "sensitive" and
Holden has to keep a straight face
- Dan correctly identifies this as Holden's technique — butter up the
older ladies, glue them to their seat
- The lies snowball from "he's shy and modest" all the way to a brain
tumor that can be removed in about two minutes
- Jennifer calls it pathological. Dan calls it personable. Robot thinks
they're both describing the same thing from different angles
- Holden sends Mrs. Morrow off at Newark thinking her son is a humble
genius — then immediately tells her he's going to South America with
his grandmother
Why was The Catcher in the Rye banned? The book has been challenged
and banned for over 70 years for its frank teenage voice, casual
profanity, and portrayal of a young person who questions authority,
rejects institutions, and sees through adult hypocrisy at every turn.
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
- **MS NOW Presents Clock It** — Simone Sanders Townsend and Eugene Daniels position themselves at the intersection of culture and politics, talking about what they see and hear in the news so you can start to clock it too. New episodes drop Thursdays.
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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 Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
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
