The Catcher in the Rye Ch. 13.2: Holden Meets a Prostitute Named Sunny | Banned Books Podcast

The Catcher in the Rye Ch. 13.2 | Banned Books Comedy Podcast

The prostitute finally shows up, and Holden Caulfield does the most Holden Caulfield thing possible: he asks if she wants to talk. She does not. What follows is one of the most awkward, sad, and unexpectedly human scenes in the book, ending with a made-up surgery, a price dispute, and a green dress that quietly breaks your heart.

Banned Camp is a comedy podcast where we read banned books chapter by chapter—we don't read ahead, so you're discovering the story with us.

Things To Listen For:

• Holden trips over his own suitcase answering the door for a prostitute while trying to be "suave as hell"
• Dan's reaction when he realizes Holden is about to bring up ducks to a prostitute
• The moment Holden hangs up Sunny's green dress and imagines her buying it in a store where nobody knew
• The DeSantis "pudding fingers coat rack" bit during PPP that somehow involves Moms for Liberty threesomes

Why was The Catcher in the Rye banned? This chapter features a teenage protagonist hiring a prostitute, discussing virginity, and lying about a medical procedure to avoid having sex. But the real reason it threatens book banners is that it shows a teenager learning his own boundaries, recognizing another person's humanity, and saying no when everything around him is pushing yes.

If this is your first episode, you're fine starting here. Our fact-checking Robot catches you up fast, then we read the next chapter (spoilers).

Banworthy to Bingeworthy
If you're looking for more great podcasts, check these out:

• Dateline Presents: Trace of Suspicion — A young Marine and the woman who didn't care about convention made a life together. Then one night the Marine died, and the death investigation took a wild, unexpected, and utterly bizarre turn.
• MsNow Presents: Clock It — Simone Sanders Townsend positions herself at the intersection of culture and politics, breaking down what's happening in the news so you can start to clock it too. New episodes drop Thursdays.

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts
Rate, review, and follow us on Apple Podcasts to help other scary book people find us!

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, their estate, or the publishers of The Catcher in the Rye. Any monetization of the podcast is separate from the copyrighted material discussed.

Topics Covered:
The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger, Chapter 13, Holden Caulfield, Sunny, Maurice, coming of age, virginity, prostitution, empathy, depression, banned books, banned books podcast, book banning, censorship, literary analysis, comedy podcast