# Catcher In The Rye & JFK Assisination? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 6, 2003, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catcher-in-the-rye-jfk-assisination/180010 "2003-06-06T04:26:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catcher-in-the-rye-jfk-assisination/180010/1 "2003-06-06T04:26:18Z")
Have you ever heard some far-fetched claim that “The Catcher in the Rye” is responsible for the idea of killing JFK? A young man I know claims the book speaks of the main character putting on “his killing hat”? I don’t recall that line, but it’s been awhile! Anyone know more about this, or is it only an Urban Legend? Also, does anyone know if the book in banned in the schools…within the US, especially. Thanx! - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catcher-in-the-rye-jfk-assisination/180010/2 "2003-06-06T04:30:16Z")
“The Catcher in the Rye” seems to be a favorite book of disturbed people all over America, but I’ve never heard any suggestion that Lee Harvey Oswald was influenced by it. I HAD heard reports that John Lennon’s assassin, Mark David Chapman, was obsessed with that novel, and supposedly, John Hinckley (the guy who shot Ronald Reagan) was, too. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catcher-in-the-rye-jfk-assisination/180010/3 "2003-06-06T04:32:48Z")
Ah! Yeah, that could be… Sometimes, my young friend gets his facts mixed up! Thanks! - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catcher-in-the-rye-jfk-assisination/180010/4 "2003-06-06T12:55:56Z")
Causality was not implied, here. Just pointing that out. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catcher-in-the-rye-jfk-assisination/180010/5 "2003-06-06T13:24:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astorian \* > \*\*“The Catcher in the Rye” seems to be a favorite book of disturbed people all over America, but I’ve never heard any suggestion that Lee Harvey Oswald was influenced by it. > > I HAD heard reports that John Lennon’s assassin, Mark David Chapman, was obsessed with that novel, and supposedly, John Hinckley (the guy who shot Ronald Reagan) was, too. \*\* After assasinating Lennon (seems like the correct way to describe what he did) Chapman coolly sat down and pulled out a dog-eared copy of Catcher and read it while waiting for the police to arrive. He left his signed copy of Double Fantasy (I think the album had been released by then and that’s what Chapman had him sign, but may be wrong) in a planter by the entrance to the Dakota while he waited to commit murder. So sad and damaged. I seem to recall Hinkley was into Catcher, too. And the Mel Gibson character in Conspiracy Theory (or whatever it was called with Julia Roberts) played up this Catcher-nutcase association by having him completely obsessed with the book… Winona Ryder is devoted to the book and has a full collection of first editions in most languages - the First U.S. edition is currently going for $10 - $15,000… enough Catcher trivia for now - not the most fun…