# Is Catcher in the Rye the worst book ever written? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 9, 2005, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-catcher-in-the-rye-the-worst-book-ever-written/325461 "2005-10-09T23:55:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![5que](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/3bc359/32.png) [@5que](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5que)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-catcher-in-the-rye-the-worst-book-ever-written/325461/61 "2005-10-10T16:09:19Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > I don’t know about the _worst_ book I ever read, but pretty damned bad was _Alas, Babylon_ by Pat Frank. Oh, man, I loved that book – read it between 6th & 7th grade (a looooong time ago). Maybe because I grew up in Florida and went through the Cuban Missle Crisis, it was easy to imagine the events. Also the first place I learned not to release goldfish into the wild, because they grow to be the size of volkswagens, or something. (Funny how I remember that from almost 40 years ago.) ---
**Author:** ![sleeepy2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@sleeepy2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeepy2)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-catcher-in-the-rye-the-worst-book-ever-written/325461/62 "2005-10-10T18:29:31Z")
> [@flamingbananas](#): > > I think that’s it. Gotta connect to Holden for you to actually enjoy the book. It’s one of my favorites. > Now, worst book ever written? > _Dandelion Wine_ > > _shudder_ Good grief. I loved _Dandelion Wine_. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-catcher-in-the-rye-the-worst-book-ever-written/325461/63 "2005-10-10T20:30:03Z")
> [@Hilarity N. Suze](#): > > Just to keep people from regarding _Catcher in the Rye_ as the worst teen-age angst book ever written I recommend, as a horrible book, one called _Story of My Life_ by Jay McInerney, which is written as if Holden Caulfield were female and living in the late '80s. You will probably have to get this one used. Bwa ha ha! I actually got a kick _Out of Story of My Life_. I wasn’t sure anyone else had ever heard of it, though. Interesting parallel you draw there, though. I think the different for me was that \*Story \* had some parts that were humorous, whereas I found \*Catcher \* humorless. If you can’t laugh at your angst, what do you have??? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-catcher-in-the-rye-the-worst-book-ever-written/325461/64 "2005-10-10T20:38:54Z")
I haven’t read it, but [this collection](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1565108167/102-9558485-7308937?v=glance) of critical essays on Catcher sounds like it would make an interesting read. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-catcher-in-the-rye-the-worst-book-ever-written/325461/65 "2005-10-10T21:11:25Z")
> [@](#): > > While were on the subject of the ducks in Catcher in the Rye, it seemed to me the obvious answer to Holden’s question was that they flew south for the winter. (Or were their wings clipped?) The semi-domesticated park pond ducks here in _Montana_ don’t even fly south for the winter. I’ve seen them huddled together atop the ice on the pond when it was 20 below. I can’t imagine that the ducks in Central Park would leave, either. Which is moot, anyway, since Holden was more concerned about the fish. Personally, when I read it (just this last summer, actually), I kept finding myself wanting to like Holden. But I just couldn’t. He’s the phoniest of the phony, and therefore the most hypocritical of the hypocrits. Yes, he’s had a rough life, especially with his brother’s death, and I felt _for_ him on that, but I just couldn’t feel _with_ him. On the other hand, you have to realize: It takes skill, and a lot of it, to create a character like that. None of the hacks and page-dumpers mentioned in this thread could have done it if their lives depended on it. You can say that you don’t like Salinger or his work, you can even say that _Catcher_ is not a good book, but you really can’t say that Salinger is not a good author. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-catcher-in-the-rye-the-worst-book-ever-written/325461.md?page=3)