The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
The novel follows the story of a teenager named Holden Caulfield, who has just been expelled from his prep school. The narrative unfolds over the course of three days, during which Holden experiences various forms of alienation and his mental state continues to unravel. He criticizes the adult world as "phony" and struggles with his own transition into adulthood. The book is a profound exploration of teenage rebellion, alienation, and the loss of innocence.
The 5th greatest book of all time
Ranking Details:
Our ranking system awards points to books based on their appearance and position on curated lists. Here's how it works:
Unranked Lists: For lists without specific rankings, each book receives points equivalent to the list's weight. This approach recognizes the book's inclusion on prestigious lists.
Ranked Lists: Books on ranked lists receive points in two ways:
- Base Points: Initially, every book is awarded points equal to the list's weight, acknowledging its significance.
- Bonus Points: Additionally, books earn bonus points based on their ranking. The total bonus pool, equal to 100% of the list's weight, is distributed among the books, with higher-ranked books receiving more points.
Exponential Distribution: The distribution of bonus points follows an exponential model. This means the top-ranked book (#1) receives significantly more bonus points than those further down the list (e.g., #100). Our algorithm ensures that higher placements are rewarded more generously, reflecting the achievement of a top rank on any given list.
This scoring system ensures that each book's ranking reflects both its presence on multiple lists and its positions within those lists, providing a comprehensive measure of its acclaim and popularity.
Total Points: 6640
Since this book was first published in 1951, there is a penalty of 0%. The age adjusted score is 6640.0.
This is to prevent newer books from reaching super high on the ranked list of the greatest books of all time. The greatest books should also stand the test of time.
- score: 157 -- For The Love of Books (Weight: 150)
- score: 155 -- The Greatest 20th Century Novels (Weight: 132)
- score: 152 -- The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All Time (Weight: 150)
- score: 146 -- The 50 best books of the past 100 years (Weight: 144)
- score: 144 -- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (Weight: 144)
- score: 142 -- El Pais Favorite Books of 100 Spanish Authors (Weight: 138)
- score: 138 -- Världsbiblioteket (The World Library) (Weight: 138)
- score: 134 -- The Ideal Library (Weight: 129)
- score: 132 -- "Our Readable Century", The Best Books of the 20th Century (Weight: 132)
- score: 126 -- Best Foreign Work of Fiction Chosen by Francophone Writers (Weight: 126)
- score: 126 -- 100 Life-Changing Books (Weight: 126)
- score: 126 -- A Hundred Novels to Change Your Life (Weight: 126)
- score: 126 -- 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature (Weight: 126)
- score: 120 -- Daily Telegraph's 100 Books of the Century, 1900-1999 (Weight: 120)
- score: 117 -- 100 Books of Classical and Modern Foreign Literature (Weight: 114)
- score: 114 -- The 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century (Weight: 114)
- score: 113 -- Big Read (Bulgarian) (Weight: 111)
- score: 108 -- The Booklist Century: 100 Books, 100 Years (Weight: 108)
- score: 108 -- The New York Public Library's Books of the Century (Weight: 108)
- score: 105 -- Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century (Weight: 105)
- score: 102 -- The Celebrity Reading List (Weight: 96)
- score: 102 -- The 100 Best YA Books of All Time (Weight: 102)
- score: 99 -- The Great American Read (Weight: 99)
- score: 97 -- The Greatest Books of All Time (Weight: 96)
- score: 96 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (Weight: 96)
- score: 96 -- 100 Most Influential Books of the Century (Weight: 96)
- score: 96 -- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers (Weight: 96)
- score: 96 -- Best Books Listed for High School Students (Weight: 96)
- score: 96 -- The Best Books of All Time, as Chosen by the Good Housekeeping Team (Weight: 96)
- score: 95 -- Big Read (Hungarian) (Weight: 93)
- score: 94 -- Quintessential American Fiction, According to the Rest of the World (Weight: 90)
- score: 94 -- Koen Book Distributors Top 100 Books of the Past Century (Weight: 90)
- score: 91 -- 50 Classics You Must Read Before You Die (Weight: 90)
- score: 90 -- Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (Weight: 90)
- score: 90 -- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime (Weight: 90)
- score: 88 -- Radcliffe's 100 Best Novels (Weight: 84)
- score: 87 -- The 100 Favorite Novels of Librarians (Weight: 84)
- score: 86 -- My Favourite Book - Australian Big Read (Weight: 84)
- score: 85 -- The Big Read (Weight: 84)
- score: 85 -- Big Read (German) (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- The Modern Library | 100 Best Novels (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- 100 Best Books (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- Select 100 (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- The Great American Novels (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- Recommended Books (Weight: 84)
- score: 81 -- Waterstone's Books of the Century (Weight: 78)
- score: 81 -- 100 Essential Books (Weight: 81)
- score: 81 -- TIME Magazine All Time 100 Novels (Weight: 81)
- score: 78 -- The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users (Weight: 78)
- score: 76 -- 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction (Weight: 75)
- score: 75 -- Bill Gate's Book Recommendations (Weight: 75)
- score: 74 -- As if You Don't Have Enough to Read, Fiction Edition (Weight: 72)
- score: 70 -- Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels (Weight: 69)
- score: 69 -- The Modern Library: The Two Hundred Best Novels in English Since 1950 (Weight: 69)
- score: 69 -- A Century of Reading (Weight: 69)
- score: 66 -- The Complete 500: OCLC (Weight: 66)
- score: 66 -- 50 Best Cult Books (Weight: 66)
- score: 66 -- Books That Shaped America (Weight: 66)
- score: 63 -- Books That Changed the World: The 50 Most Influential Books in Human History (Weight: 63)
- score: 63 -- 100 Best Novels Written in English (Weight: 63)
- score: 63 -- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books (Weight: 63)
- score: 63 -- The Graphic Canon (Weight: 63)
- score: 58 -- The 100 Greatest Novels (Weight: 57)
- score: 57 -- The 100 Greatest Novels of All Time: The List (Weight: 57)
- score: 57 -- The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (Weight: 57)
- score: 57 -- The Books You've Always Meant to Read (Weight: 57)
- score: 51 -- The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read (Weight: 51)
- score: 51 -- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (Weight: 51)
- score: 51 -- The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers (Weight: 51)
- score: 45 -- D. G. Myers’ 50 Greatest English Language Novels (Weight: 45)
- score: 45 -- 50 Books to Read Before You Die (Weight: 45)
- score: 39 -- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List (Weight: 39)
- score: 33 -- The 100 Greatest American Novels, 1893 – 1993 (Weight: 33)