Banned Books: Catcher in the Rye

Examiner ^ | September 9, 2010 | Martha

[usalady]

J.D. Salinger's novel about the life of a troubled teenager was banned by libraries and schools because of its sexual references, violence and language.

[usalady]

Although Catcher in the Rye became No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list when it was published in 1951, it attracted the attention of censors immediately. It was banned from public libraries and schools for reasons ranging from using excessive vulgar language, sexual scenes, moral issues, excessive violence, racist, rude and the occult. Regardless of efforts to ban the book, it was translated into 30 languages and sold more than 65 million copies.

[GeronL]

Schools and libraries want kids having sex now.

I like it back then better

[j.argese]

they should have banned it because it sucked but it definitely foreshadowed the “Cult of Me”.

[therightliveswithus]

a self-centered kid in our society? no!

[GOPJ]

Authors DREAM of getting ‘banned’. It assures big sales... for liberals.

[GOPJ]

Authors DREAM of getting ‘banned’. It assures big sales... for liberals. Crying all the way to the bank...

[NativeSon]

I read it, what a waste of time.

[MNDude]

it was boring as heck!

[utherdoul]

Agreed. I read quite a few sci-fi books containing quite a bit more foul language, violence, and sex in fifty pages than that crappy book had cover to cover. Keep in mind I was reading these books in sixth grade from the school library.

[rlmorel]

I hated that stupid book. So he is offended by phonies...get over it. Today, Holden Caulfield would be taking hostages at the Discovery Channel.

[Andrea19]

But John Hinckley and Mark David Chapman loved this book!

[Snickering Hound]

Should be banned just for missing Yoko.

[GOPJ]

Regardless of efforts to ban the book, it was translated into 30 languages and sold more than 65 million copies.

That should read, "BECAUSE of efforts to ban the book.

They turned-on to the idea that getting 'banned' would sell books. And sell 'art' - it worked so well it became the first choice of the talentless.

Liberals competed to become the most offensive - a plastic crucifix submerged in the 'artist' urine was the poster work of this type of 'art'.

Eventually the idea became so fashionable liberals couldn't find anyone to ban their works...

Mapplethorpe was the last of the great 'finger in your face' type 'artists'... After him - it was hard to get banned, but they kept trying... In a hundred years the 'art' that existed only to express hatred for traditional Americans will be classed with hate pictures of Jews and Blacks from an earlier time. Mapplethorpe Photography

[Darkwolf377]

Amazing book, stylistically a roadmark that is still read and copied in hundreds of crappy knockoffs each year.

[Darkwolf377]

After him - it was hard to get banned

YEARS ago when I worked in a bookstore I got dirty looks from the rest of the staff when I pointed out that the "banned books week" or month materials showed only books that were "challenged"--in other words, some parent dared to ask that their tax money not pay for a book going into a school library, usually.

I'm completely against censorship of books, but when you can walk down the street to buy a book at a local store, that ain't censorship.

Check out the display the next time there's a banned books thing--all the labels will say "challenged" because books simply aren't censored. But they don't want to let go of that victim label. They should be CELEBRATING that books aren't banned but Americans are free to want to not pay for certain things (while they're still available for all who want them)--that's free speech!

But they have to continue to push this idea that we're living under a cloud of McCarthyism.

[GOPJ]

Liberals realized getting 'banned' would sell books. And sell 'art'. It worked so well it became the first choice of the talentless.

Liberals competed to become the most offensive - a plastic crucifix submerged in the 'artist' urine was the poster work of this type of 'art'.

Eventually the idea became so fashionable liberals couldn't find anyone to ban their works...

Mapplethorpe was the last of the great 'finger in your face' type 'artists'... After him - it was hard to get banned, but they kept trying...

In a hundred years the 'art' that existed only to express hatred for traditional Americans will be classed with the hate pictures of Jews and Blacks from an earlier time.

[Hegewisch Dupa]

the occult? It’s been a while, but I can’t recall how that worked into it all

[oyez]

Banning “Catcher” must have made Caulfield an undeserved fortune. Nobody would have read that piece of crap, otherwise.

William Burroughs's “Naked Lunch”, now that was a book.

[GeronL]

dude they are selling DVD’s of “nude beauty pageants” of preteen girls nowadays...

very hard to get banned apparently

[Disambiguator]

I had a conversation with my mother about this book. I said I had to read it in high screwl (back in the 1970s), and I thought it was stupid.

Apparently my sister had the exact same comment about the book.

For some reason English teachers adore the book.