The Catcher in the Rye Ch. 9 | Banned Books Comedy Podcast

Holden Caulfield arrives in New York City in the middle of the night with cash in his pocket and absolutely no one to call. He stands in a phone booth for twenty minutes going through his entire list — and comes up empty every time. What follows is one of the loneliest chapters in the book, dressed up as comedy.

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 gives his cab driver his home address by accident — and Dan and Jennifer debate whether that's absentmindedness or a kid who just wants to go home to his mom
- The cab driver gets asked about the ducks in Central Park. He does not take it well.
- Holden checks into the Edmont Hotel and immediately starts watching strangers through their windows — a cross-dresser, a couple spitting booze at each other — and declares himself the only normal bastard in the place
- Holden calls a woman he barely knows from a Princeton party, tries to sound "suave as hell," and crashes and burns completely

Why was The Catcher in the Rye banned? This chapter captures exactly why — a teenage boy alone in a hotel room, watching strangers through windows, thinking about sex, calling a woman described as "not exactly a whore." School boards have been losing their minds over this book since 1951. What they keep missing is that Holden isn't celebrating any of it. He's drowning.

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
While you're here, check out these shows worth bingeing:

- **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 J.D. 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 purchase a copy here to experience the book in its entirety.

This podcast is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to J.D. Salinger, their estate, or the publishers of The Catcher in the Rye. Any monetization of the podcast is separate from the copyrighted material discussed.

Topics Covered:
The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger, Chapter 9, Holden Caulfield, Faith Cavendish, Jane Gallagher, loneliness, teenage isolation, censorship and sexuality, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast