Catcher in the Rye spoke to a generation of geeks and malcontents, and earned the ire of adults who didn’t like anything that had such dirty words in it. Main character Holden Caulfield quickly evolved into a cultural icon with his wry arrogance and distinct physical features that kept him just as unpopular as the rest of us. Even reading the book became an act of defiance as schools banned the vile book for promoting things sex and independent thought. Gotta keep those teenagers from rising up.