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  • HEY GUYS this video is more than 4 minutes and no punishment! wtf!

  • He loved that book so much. That killed me.

  • I really don't like Catcher in the Rye. reading it made me feel angry and anxious. I couldn't even finish it without wanting to throw it across the room

  • I bet by reading this he wants to kill john lennon... But he finds out he is already dead... He even looks similar to butters scotch... If you watch south park then you know what i mean...

  • I read this for my AP Lit class a few weeks ago, and thanks to you, John, I didn't hate it, and I managed to make the other people in my discussion group not hate it too :-) Thank you.

  • J.D Salinger described my soul.

  • He points at the doobiliy doo at the side instead of the bottom. Who knows, maybe youtube will change again and put the doobility doo back in the side of the video again.

  • It was a pretty boring book from what I remember.

  • Congrats. You succeeded in convincing me to reread a book I thought I hated, and to think about it more and hate it less...despite the misogyny, which is definitely there.

    The misogyny is kind of everywhere. He not only implies that most girls are dumb, deliberately confusing, and lack control, but his entire story argues that they need a man's protection from the world and other men or else they will be irrevocably corrupted, broken sad things deserving only of pity. *restrains-urge-to-smack*

  • Did he just say Frakkin'? I don't know anymore, there is just too much awesome in these videos compared with a world full of suck that I may be imagining things.

  • Just finished rereading Will Grayson, Will Grayson...oh, her name is Jane! Don't know if that was intentional, but you are supposed to have written The Catcher and the Rye of the 21st century (in the form of Looking for Alaska.)

  • Thumbs up if you had read this book before Mark Chapman shot John Lennon....I love the book ...but hate the 'hype' that surrounds this novel.

  • @ 3:15, maybe the frequent usage of 'you' is also a way to somewhat subliminally give the reader a more personal experience which the reader may or may not choose to let themselves experience, but by using 'you' that empathy just rises unobstructed

    Thoughts would be appreciated, do reply :)

  • Hmm... When John was talking about how Holden was so pained by his memories that he says "you" instead of "I", it reminded me of a book I'm reading: "The Thirteenth Tale" (Diane Setterfield). In the book, the character Vida Winter, and author, is retelling her story to a biographer, the main character (Margaret Lea). And during almost the entire tale, Vida acts like it's the most painful thing, and she so rarely refers to herself and her sister as "we", but "they".

  • I like this guy.. :)

  • my ex boyfriend still sleeps with a stuffed beagle...he's 21 :/

  • "...met a woman who was definitely a prostitute after earlier in the book not meeting a woman who was maybe a prostitute, then didn't do anything with the prostitute" lol that part made me laugh. I'm liking this book. Its a little sad/depressing like you said. But its goddam good. So goddam good its just about killing me. I'm getting a real bang out of it.

  • We're reading the book right now (actually I have to read chapter 16 and 17 tonight...) so this helps me alot :)

    Dftba

  • @pharman13 I'm sure he'll take your advice.

  • Most of my class hated this book when we read it, but I couldn't put it down! I loved it!

  • Y U NO MAKE THIS WHEN I WAS IN GRADE 11

  • I just scrolled through my cellphone contacts and found out that NO ONE wants to talk to me.

  • Jesus Christ, I love this book. I have to come back and watch these videos every once in a while.

  • Stuffed animal too long? is it not normal for 15 year old to have their stuffad animal still

  • @TheGummyBearOverLord If my information is right, it is normal. I am going off of the fact that most of the fifteen year olds that I know are still snuggling up at night with their stuffed animals.

  • I love this book for some reason. I can't really explain.. maybe it's because I'm surrounded by phonies myself in this little prep town.

  • John, I just looked at your Wikipedia page... and your birthday is 4 days before mine mind+blown=mindblown

  • I read this book for English! I actually liked it and was actually one of the few people in my class that liked the book. I thought I was kinda sad.

  • i was confused about some of the spelling in the book. like "good-by" and if i remember correctly: "ax".

  • @TheJayman213 thats just how they do older literary stuff. in the 50's maybe it was somehow different than now. idk just my guess

  • hehe "YouTube added the extra second"

  • hes a phony, a big fat phony. oh and hes afraid of sex so hes gay because thats all he talks about but when he gets the chance to do it he craps his pants

  • i think holden is fake and gay not liying

  • The problem with this whole youtube thing, is that kid think you are the Catcher in the Rye God.-----And maybe you are, but people need to come to their own conclusions, come through the book like a hiker, an adventurer. ----Unforutunately, kids are listening to your cafein inspired rant , and they are mesmerized. It's not what literature is about. It's just something to think abouy.

  • My english teacher showed this video in class today.

  • @demigodoftheater same here

  • He really kills me. He does I mean it that goddam sonuvabitch. You'd think he knew everything in the goddam world. So phone, and I mean it. Goddam phonies. goddam goddam goddam xD

  • what a goddamn pjony sunovabitch, he kills me, he really does,

  • this is my faviort book ever and he forgot the that he was in a tb recoverey house , not a metal place .

  • Holden Caufield is a friend of mine, we go drinking from time to time... and I find it gets harder every time.

  • It Kills Me, It Really Does.

  • You're a goddam funny sonuvabitch.

  • anybody think there is any connection between the red hunting cap and Allie's red hair? Also the other red haired people in the book? (all of whom he seems to like)

  • My English Teacher actually used this to help us learn Catcher in the Rye, which was kind of awesome. Even the stupid semi-illiterate jocks thought it was cool.

  • john, work on sentence fluency tsk tsk tsk

  • thanks for doing my english homework. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA­HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA­HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA­HAHAHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA­HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH­a.... ow

  • you just made English interesting again.

  • Oh lord I LOVE THIS BOOK! But either way, I agree completely with what you said! Not to sound smart, but these are things I thought as well (: prettycool

  • this is my favourite book

  • He also says an all alot too :)

  • you should do this on to kill a mockingbird. also please be my english teacher.

  • Thank you so much for helping me study for English! You made it interesting. =D Now can you please do Taming of the Shrew and 10 Things I Hate About You? K. thanks. bye.

  • i'm pretty sure the one sentence is a run-on. just saying.

  • i find that authors and artists have a different way of thinking altogether, kind of ethereal and totally awesome

  • splitting the what? clearly i am not a grammar nerdfighter :P

  • @argyleanklesocks splittling the phrase "to talk" by putting "belatedly" inbetween. He said "to belatedly talk" when it should be "to talk belatedly" or "belatedly to talk..." .................... "to" and "talk" should not be split up.

  • Which infinitive did he split?

  • @oh9ah6 The infinitive in question was "to talk", which he split with the word "belatedly". It should have been "to talk belatedly" or possibly "belatedly to talk"

  • @Mysterymangelwurzel Oh right.... :) My grammar has greatly improved... thank you.

  • None of my english teachers ever assigned this book

    But I just finished it myself.

    It's really moving and weird and I don't understand it but I almost cried when the book was finished.

  • I love these guys

  • I miss these glasses...

  • I love u John

  • I don't get it- that book was censored and banned in many high schools, led to the John Lennon and Ronald Reagan assasination, yet it was on my High School summer reading list! And to top it all off... IT WAS REQUIRED!!!

  • I don't get why this book is for so long popular,I think it was one of the most boring books I've ever read. You got alot more out of it than I did

  • I don't get why this book is for so long popular,I think it was one of the most boring books I've ever read

  • why couldnt we read this book now? this summer? because its my homework and i really dont want to read it.

  • I love English class, but I hate my teacher.

    So...can you please be my English teacher?

  • This video - and the ones that follow- was very helpful with my AP work. Thanks John!

  • When John was talking about Holden using "you" instead of "I," I freaked out, because I actually noticed that while reading the book! And, I had some idea of what it meant!

    On a different note, "a wee bit misogynistic?" Try incredibly misogynistic and also really sex-negative! I facepalmed several times while reading the novel.

  • this was really great help i was like what in the goddamn world is going on here i felt like nothing was REALLY goin into my head. THANKS JOHN YOURE MY HERO.

  • I feel like John's trying to make the book sound way more meaningful and deep than it is... a lot of people use the phrase "you" instead of "I" because they mean that if you did, it would feel like that. ie "you know when you're trying to..."

  • His hair changes every scene lol.

  • i love how you talk so fast..

  • I AM FINALLY READING IT and now I'm coming back to watch these videos haha

  • my brother was named after holden

  • I just read this goddamn book and now I'm a little goddamn confused so I started watching some videos where this sonuvabitch named John, Old John he kills me sometimes, explains things that one would notice after reading the goddamn book several times b/c I'm to lazy to read it again.Very big deal.

    goddamn.

    XD

  • @VCRRecorded360

    Summed up the whole book! hahaha

  • @VCRRecorded360 Thanks to old John explaining the book and all, I did really well on my quiz. I really did.

  • You definitley overanalyzed the book.

  • Hes sort of like a failed jesus

  • RUN on, RUN ON!!!! "Head explodes"

  • Its Fracken Sad Man! lol

  • YOU'RE SO FRACKEN SMART MANNNN! Love your videos :-)

  • wow i dont remember any of this . . . i should read it again.

  • but I say "you" all the time, whether I mean "I" or "one", I doubt that I subconsciously feel in infinite pain

  • Split infinitives *shudders*

  • This just kills me

    

  • IT'S FRACKEN SADDD hahahahah.

  • if you were to write a book, what would it be called? mine would be called, the me i never knew. what does catcher in the rye mean?

    ?

  • @nothadnotbad towards the end of the book holden explains what it means

  • @nothadnotbad 1. John has written three books, co-written one (read them, they're all great) and has another one coming out in 2012. 2. Awesome title! And 3. I have no idea.

  • Seriously great help and fun to watch. 

  • You said "It's frakkin sad man!" and then I totally forgot what I was going to Google after finishing this video :)

  • I read the book last week and I was like - I DON'T UNDERSTAND. Then I went to the Ning and they said - LISTEN TO JOHN. I love this nerdfighter society. Plus - she was a prostitute? The girl that slept with his roommate? She? Or another girl?

  • It's like english class all over again...

    and I'm loving every second of it!

    Because I agree that reading books without understanding the metaphors behind it is like looking at a picture, but not seeing anything. Or listening to music but remembering none of it.

    Go english nerdfighters.

  • I definitely have to read this book next now... Thanks Mr. J. Green!

  • You really understand Catcher in the Rye after you watch this video. I mean, John Green really clears it up for you. You think he should have been your English teacher and you really wish you didn't have to struggle so much while you read that book and all.

  • @djmvlog1 I agree. We are no longer a reading society. Kids hate reading because of the work we put on them. I knew a kid who just skim through and still got good grades. He however did not read much of it. Also he was a jerk. Modern kids don't want to read classics, they want to read what they want. The best way to restore a reading society is to NOT force upon them classics. It is wholly Irrational. I assume Hank was not taught this, and read classics for pleasure. So, he liked it (cont)

  • @djmvlog1 Cont because he read it his way (individually). People read shit, because they enjoy it. People hate classics because they were crammed with them. There are MANY exceptions. But, Literature should be enjoyed, not taught by a teacher. You cannot teach ideas.

  • @PoliticalWeekly That's true, but you do realize my comment was mainly a joke, I was trying to follow Holden's way of talking that John discussed in the video.

  • @djmvlog1 Dont you REALLY mean I when you say YOU? ;)

  • @ojskiipojski Actually no, I was purely mimicking Holden's style. I actually more or less enjoyed this book.

  • What happens to the ducks when the ice freezes over. I just thought that was his parents and their very cold formal way and he was the ducks, I read it twenty years ago so I could be wrong.

  • Wow this is great!

  • those glasses are ugly. :P

    love you john!

  • Comment removed

  • When I read The Catcher In The Rye, I understood how people enjoyed it, and that it was the start of a movement in books, but I didn't really enjoy reading it. I found the book's lack of climax rather boring. Watching this video has made me think about this book more, and I think I'm going to re-read it because I think I missed a lot of the symbolism and meaning and was instead caught up in the lack of plot line. Thank you John(:

  • I was bored with this book when I read it freshman (freshmen?) year. This makes it seem kinda intriguing. I still think, as a graduated junior (high school) that I haven't lived enough to get this book.

  • Next year it is my mission to get my English teacher to show this to my class. I will succeed!!!

  • @00Yahiko Go for it! Spread the John around! XD

  • you're much better than my english teacher

  • this is the first time I've actually felt sorry for Holden...

  • you say ducks in a very hip way lolololol

  • I want to read this book now!

  • It's a very Anglican thing to replace 'I' with 'you' in every aspect of your speech, because with most of our accents it flows much better and you can get away with conflating it by removing both the first and/or last letter. You obviously can't miss any letters out of 'I'. In my mini-dialect thingy, We even sometimes say something that can only be spelled as 'eyomiim', which believe it or not sounds exactly like a splice between 'I' and 'you' when saying something like 'I'm going out".

  • I thought it was the fish in the pond that he asked the taxi driver about. What happens to the fish when winter comes because obviously ducks just fly away but the fish cant do that.

  • @notyourordinarymusic Holden asks about the ducks but then the taxi driver brings up the fish.

  • Wow... Thank you. I never understood the book, but now I kinda get it.

    Sad it doesn't speak to me though... The only reason I want to finish it now is because I'm at 3/4 and I don't have much time left to read books for my exam :P

  • people believe science and math even tho as a child they were only shown it in books and told about it by other people but they believe without a doubt that everytime 1+1=2 so to me science and math have the same proofs as religion and we live our lives by there rules the moment anyone uses the word believe in a sentence that is your religion your way of life and everyone has quote unqoute religion even if its only science you BELIEVE in science

  • 62 people are phonies

  • I'm watching this to study for my English final. :)

  • I have a HUGE test on this today and I haven't even opened the book. I am now watching this, wish me luck!

  • We watched this today in my Year 11 Advanced English class. I was so pumped that I was being educated by John Green. So, so pumped.

  • @Phoenix11InchesHolly Yes he is, he has a "holier than thou" attitude, LIKE ME!! Im not sure if i was like this before I read the book, but Im kinda worried this book screwed me up. LOL

  • I am reading Catcher In The Rye over the summer for AP Lit next year. I am definitely excited.

  • I am Holden Caulfield. Not really, but I identify with him so much! That's the main reason it's my favorite book :)

  • This story is referenced in the book,

    "Tails:

    Swimming Both Ways"

    by Fysche

    who will be interviewed on SpirituallyRawDOTCOM

    Tuesday June 14 10amEST

    Thank you JD for being so inspirational !!!!!!!!!

  • This is my favorite book of all time. :)

    Whether or not you liked reading it is irrelevant--deep down you know you can relate. And that's what makes it a literary masterpiece.

  • oh man, you said frak... PLEASE tell me that's a reference to battlestar galactica. XD :D:D

  • Catcher In the Rye made me hate phoneys

  • i can connect to holden.

    sucks

  • its banned in most schools because its fucked up

  • that book is one screwed up book it realy sucks

  • @cunnamullafalla you are delusional.... the beauty of this book is that, like you said, nothing happens. the fact that there is no plot makes the book that much more moving when you consider the knowledge and understanding gained through reading it....

  • i want my money back, as this was the WORST book I ever read. No story line, no plot, just shit.. I want my money back. I urge the world to no bother buying a copy of this crap book. Its shit..

  • my initails are D.B :/

  • ahhh i finished the catcher in the rye today :)

  • John, I believe this is my favorite VlogBrother's video =)

  • My english teacher sent us this link (as well as part two) to study for exams!!!!!!!!!!!! NERDFIGHTERS FTW

  • You are better than Sparknotes.

  • speaking of the tension between innocence and experience...

  • That was so phony. 

  • @Troyfan101 it really was.

  • @Troyfan101 Your comment killed me. It really did. I also got a bang out of this video, even if the guy's a moron. All morons hate it when you call them morons.

  • @Troyfan101 very witty!

    

  • I used information from this video to write an essay for a college class. Win.

  • I am rewatching this so I can use Catcher on my AP Lit exam tomorrow. :|

  • I watched this video about a year ago for the first time and it made very little sense to me. Now I watch it, after reading the book, and it all makes sense.

  • It bothers me when people say Holden is unrelatable. To me he's the most real character I've ever come across in a novel. Yes, he's rude and hypocritical - and sexist, but that's more a product of the times - but you can tell that he knows it and does it on purpose. Everything he says in his narration gives away the pain he feels, and explains subtly - generally with the last sentence of paragraphs - why he's hiding behind so many walls that he's constructed for himself.

  • lol i hated this book so much XD but thanks for this, you made it fun to learn about

  • Yeah, the misogyny bit is one of the many things that kept me from either relating to or sympathizing with Holden. Also, he is really mean and rude. And also hypocritical.

  • @Candypirate11

    I thought he was pretty far from misogynistic. He couldn't even use a prostitute, for God's sake. He struggles with his sexual feelings towards Sally when he doesn't love her and he has genuine affection for every female in the book. Seriously. All of them. He's even kind nice about the bitchy women at the club that use him for drinks.

  • @smashmashcrash Maybe sexist would be a better word than misogynistic. While he doesn't hate women, he is condesending to them, he objectifies them, and he often doesn't respect them. And he said that girls "lost their brains" whenever they went past second base.

  • "Ask her if she still keeps her kings in the back row"

    Me: *melt*

  • holden says "and all" alot. just noticed

  • @smileybabe98 He also likes to use "boy" and "phony"

  • @smileybabe98 No shit...

  • @spacejesusadventure that rudeness was uncalled for

  • Thank you for this!

  • Ummm... Can you be my English teacher please?

  • is there a catcher in the rye part two.?

    cause i have a test on it tomorrow.. lmao

  • O-o First time watching your stuff, subscribed xD. This is neat.

  • Boy am i going to sound smart on monday when english class comes! :)

  • 3:00 My favourite quote from the book :)

  • Using this to study for my AP literature Exam :)

  • This is my favorite book ever. I read it when I was 10 and ever since, I've been obsessed with it.

  • The book was a pile of steaming dung. Painfully boring to read and I honestly felt after reading ti like nothing happened to anyone. Maybe thats the point you are supposed to feel a sense of boredom and lonliness after reading it like you are the character. However this doesnt make for exciting reading that urges you onward.

    Sadly I do not see how anyone anywhere relates this book as somewhat of a spy training manual. Was I reading the same book?