Show notes
🎉 Season 11 begins Tuesday, June 9th — The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.
Three high-profile crimes. One banned book. Mark David Chapman shot John Lennon with a copy of The Catcher in the Rye in his pocket. John Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan with a copy in his hotel room. Robert John Bardo murdered actress Rebecca Schaeffer with one in his backpack — and threw it on a rooftop while running from police. This is the episode where Dan and Jennifer try to figure out what actually happened, and whether J.D. Salinger's novel deserves any of the blame.
Banned Camp is a comedy podcast where we read banned books chapter by chapter — and occasionally go down rabbit holes that make us question everything we thought we knew about literature, murder, and Yoko Ono.
Things To Listen For:
The inscription Mark David Chapman wrote on his copy of the book the morning of the murder — and what he did with it at sentencing
Why one of the three cases may have had nothing to do with the book at all — and everything to do with Jodie Foster
The letter John Hinckley Jr. wrote to Jodie Foster the morning he shot Ronald Reagan
Why Robert John Bardo threw the book onto a rooftop while fleeing police — and what that says about his actual connection to it
The quote from J.D. Salinger biographer Kenneth Slawenski that explains the whole thing in one sentence
A fact about Strawberry Fields and the Dakota building that will make you see this book differently forever
Robot gets stuck. Dan has a rug. Beatrix has already been blamed.
Why was The Catcher in the Rye banned? This episode gets at the real answer — the same instinct that blamed this book for three high-profile crimes is the same instinct that removes it from school libraries. It's always easier to point at the object than to look at the person holding it. The book didn't make anyone do anything. That's the part that actually matters.
Source: Much of the research for this episode comes from a great A&E Crime and Investigation piece: Did 'The Catcher in the Rye' Really Inspire Real-Life Killers? — worth reading after you listen.
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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, his estate, or the publishers of The Catcher in the Rye. Any monetization of the podcast is separate from the copyrighted material discussed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was The Catcher in the Rye banned? The Catcher in the Rye has been one of the most frequently challenged books in America since its publication in 1951, and was the most censored book in the U.S. from 1961 to 1982. It's been removed from schools and libraries for profanity, sexual references, and "anti-social behavior" — but the deeper reason is that Holden Caulfield gives teenagers permission to question authority, reject conformity, and say out loud that the system feels broken. That's the part that actually scares book banners.
Is there a podcast that reads The Catcher in the Rye chapter by chapter? That's us. Banned Camp reads a different banned book every season, one chapter at a time — neither host has read ahead, so you're discovering the story together in real time. Season 10 covers The Catcher in the Rye, and every episode includes the chapter reading, discussion, a fact-checking Robot, and a segment on why books get banned.
Do I need to start Banned Camp from the beginning? No. Every episode opens with Robot's recap of the previous chapter, so you can jump in anywhere. Most listeners tell us they started mid-season and went back to the beginning after they were hooked.
Topics Covered: The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger, Mark David Chapman, John Lennon, John Hinckley Jr., Ronald Reagan, Robert John Bardo, Rebecca Schaeffer, Jodie Foster, Travis Bickle, Taxi Driver, Kenneth Slawenski, Strawberry Fields, the Dakota building, Good News for Lefties, Beowulf Rochlen, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, true crime, literary analysis, comedy podcast