# What to read after The Catcher in the Rye - (Book Recommendation) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 5, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465 "2006-08-05T16:03:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465/21 "2006-08-06T12:54:06Z")
[QUOTE=Anastasaeon] Another one of Salinger’s works is the book \*Raise High The Roofbeam, Carpenters \* \*and Seymour: An Introduction \* (one book, two stories). RHTRC is one of my very favourites. Buddy Glass is my favourite of the whole family. Though Zooey is quite a character, too. And BooBoo… and… ah hell. All of them. Every one. Seymour himself, the curse and the blessing… damn. [/QUOTE] Absolutely agreed. RHTRC is one of my desert-island books. You’ve just inspired me to start re-reading it today! ---
**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:** [August 6, 2006, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465/22 "2006-08-06T14:32:37Z")
Done with _Catcher_? Good. You are now ready to go on the **offensive** against the idiots of the world. Try- [ul] [li]_Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas_[/li][li]_A Confederacy Of Dunces_[/li][li]_Fear & Loathing On The Campaign Trail 72._[/li][li]_The Curse Of Lono_[/li][li]_A Generation Of Swine_[/li][li]Anything by H.L. Mencken.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![MessyPaint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@MessyPaint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MessyPaint)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465/23 "2006-08-06T16:12:50Z")
Thank you. These suggestions have been perfect / relevant. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465/24 "2006-08-06T16:47:35Z")
[QUOTE=AwSnappity] Dave Eggers’ _You Shall Know Our Velocity_ reminded me of _Catcher_ at times. I absolutely love Eggers; he’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but definitely worth checking out IMO. [/QUOTE] THANK YOU! I read [A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Heartbreaking_Work_of_Staggering_Genius) several years ago, loved it, and lent it out. And immediately forgot both the title and the author’s name. I’ve been Googling for years, but not a hell of a lot useful comes up when all you can remember is **memoir brother custody california**. Anyhow, my post- \*Catcher \*rec would be _AHWOSG_. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465/25 "2006-08-07T03:47:54Z")
I’m one of those folks who didn’t much care for TCitR. But one book of the same vintage (circa 1950) that the book jacket, at least compares to TCitR is Fredric Brown’s **The Fabulous Clipjoint**. It’s an Edgar-winning first mystery about a boy in Chicago going out on his own and discovering himself (and his roots). He’s not whint and self-obsessed – he’s trying to discover who murdered his father in very ordinary and downright depressing circumstances. A great read. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465/26 "2006-08-07T04:22:40Z")
[QUOTE=MessyPaint] What to read after The Catcher in the Rye - (Book Recommendation) [/QUOTE] Maybe _ **The Pitcher in the Catcher in the Rye** _? ---
**Author:** ![stamruleboswell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/57b2e6/32.png) [@stamruleboswell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stamruleboswell)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2013, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465/27 "2013-11-16T21:49:09Z")
I would read The Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc --by, Mark Twain:smack: I am currently finishing this historical novel, which made me laugh so hard i almost cried real tears. > [@MessyPaint](#): > > So this was my first time reading The Catcher in the Rye and I was really grabbed by it; I went straight through it in 8 hours. > > I just browsed the bookstore yesterday looking for some new friends and everyone I picked up just made me want to go back to Holden and the old gang, ya know… > > But obviously we must move on. > > I’m going to leave in a couple of hours and I’d love to take your suggestions with me. > > I’m looking for another strong literary book with highly memorable characters which are going to make me want to cry at some point… > > I’d like them to be along the lines of the major works, ya know, the greatest literature of all time… > > Also, if you have any weblinks which might better suit my quest, please don’t hesitate to provide them. > > Thank you for your time and toleration of this thread. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2013, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465/28 "2013-11-17T11:07:14Z")
I found that _Good Night, Moon_ left me feeling relaxed and happy, with no desire to beat up Holden Caulfield or anyone else, so that. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2013, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465/29 "2013-11-17T13:49:38Z")
I really hope the OP has found a book by now. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2013, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465/30 "2013-11-17T15:08:46Z")
Since the zombie has already been unleashed, I’ll add my suggestion. If you want another first-person account of someone who knows he is damaged but is totally clueless about just \*how \*damaged he is, try _Lolita_. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465/31 "2013-11-17T16:53:13Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Since the zombie has already been unleashed, I’ll add my suggestion. If you want another first-person account of someone who knows he is damaged but is totally clueless about just \*how \*damaged he is, try _Lolita_. Brilliant book. In the spirit of _Pride and Prejudice and Zombies_, I am sure Catcher would benefit from similar treatment. _ **The Body Snatcher in the Rye** _, perhaps? 😉 To speak to the long-ago OP, I never really took to Catcher. However, when I read **The Red and the Black** , by Stendhal, it really resonated with me. The protagonist, Julien Sorel, is a young man facing the reality of class, status and station and all of the hypocrisy that goes along with it, but is much more of an actor in his life vs. Holden Caulfield… And if you really want to get to the hard reality of life’s suffering, try **Native Son** by Richard Wright… ---
**Author:** ![skunkmama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@skunkmama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skunkmama)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2016, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465/32 "2016-06-29T23:51:43Z")
How about \* On the Road \* by Kerouac? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465/33 "2016-06-30T02:17:07Z")
If what you liked about _The Catcher in the Rye_ was that it was a preppie coming-of-age novel, you should read _The Young Desire It_ by Kenneth Mackenzie: > **[The Young Desire It](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Young_Desire_It)** > > The Young Desire It (1937) is a novel by Australian author Seaforth Mackenzie. It won the ALS Gold Medal for Best Novel in 1937. > The novel details a year in the life of its teenage protagonist Charles Fox. He has left his idyllic life on an isolated Western Australian farm for boarding school. There he suffers the bullying of his fellow students, uncomfortable advances from his schoolmaster and a difficult scholastic workload. > **[Kenneth Mackenzie (author)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Mackenzie_(author))** > > Kenneth Ivo Brownley Langwell Mackenzie (25 September 1913 – 19 January 1955) was an Australian poet and novelist. His first and best-known novel, The Young Desire It (1937), was published under the pen name Seaforth Mackenzie. > Mackenzie was born in South Perth. He grew up in Pinjarra, Western Australia, and attended Guildford Grammar School. His experiences at Guildford in part inspired his novel of 1937 The Young Desire It. His novel Dead Men Rising was about the Cowra breakout of which h... ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f08c70/32.png) [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Brother_Walker)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465/34 "2016-06-30T05:00:24Z")
I’m here to pitch my fave author… Not much with coming of age, but some really good humor. Kurt Vonnegut: Check out some of my faves: Cat’s Cradle Mother Night The Sirens of Titan just to name a few…some serious topics, some light, but lots of dark humor. ---
**Author:** ![by-tor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/by-tor/32/266_2.png) [@by-tor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/by-tor)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2016, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465/35 "2016-07-02T08:34:25Z")
Isn’t the normal early teen progression: The Outsiders Catcher in the Rye Atlas Shrugged The Stranger Stranger in a Strange Land Journey to Ixtlan The Illuminatus Expensive Pot Habit 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465/36 "2016-07-05T21:08:37Z")
I suggest _Lord of the Flies_, by William Golding. For me, it is as memorable as _The Catcher in the Rye_, and is well worth rereading. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465/37 "2016-07-11T05:44:27Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > I really hope the OP has found a book by now. Yeah! ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465/38 "2016-07-11T06:02:44Z")
> [@pinkfreud](#): > > I suggest _Lord of the Flies_, by William Golding. For me, it is as memorable as _The Catcher in the Rye_, and is well worth rereading. Strange that you should make this suggestion. In my mind, these books are indelibly linked. I can’t think of exactly \*why \*I think of them together, but I do. They somehow tickle the exact same parts of my subconscious. And it isn’t because I read them in the same grade in school, because I never read \*either \*of them in school, only many years later. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465/39 "2016-07-11T16:18:57Z")
_The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs_, by Leopold Stotch. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2016, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465/40 "2016-07-11T16:25:50Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > _The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs_, by Leopold Stotch. [I see it’s gotten rave reviews on Goodreads.](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7915570-the-tale-of-scrotie-mcboogerballs) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-read-after-the-catcher-in-the-rye-book-recommendation/367465.md?page=3)