Old School with Shilo Brooks Read This Book Instead of ‘The Catcher in the Rye’
Dec 4, 2025
Ryan Holiday, author and founder of The Daily Stoic, discusses the philosophical depths of Walker Percy’s *The Moviegoer*. He argues it’s a more mature counterpart to *The Catcher in the Rye*, delving into the protagonist's existential malaise amidst postwar comfort. Holiday emphasizes the importance of savoring literature over speed reading and explores themes of modern life's meaning, social media performance, and the search for depth in everyday existence. He also highlights how Stoicism offers a remedy for our chaotic modern lives.
01:02:39
Make Reading A Daily Discipline
- Treat reading like a job and schedule time for it daily.
- Cherish reading as a way to 'converse with the dead' and learn without painful trial and error.
Plotlessness Mirrors The Search
- The Moviegoer is a pilgrimage novel about an internal search rather than external action.
- Its plotlessness mirrors the protagonist's existential malaise and modern alienation.
Abundance Breeds Existential Emptiness
- Postwar abundance solved scarcity but birthed a new existential emptiness for some.
- Older generations often can't grasp younger people's search because their duties provided rooted meaning.
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Intro
00:00 • 2min
How Ryan curates books for his bookstore
02:20 • 1min
Making time for reading
03:30 • 2min
Why speed reading is a scam
05:40 • 56sec
Introduction to The Moviegoer
06:37 • 24sec
First encounter with The Moviegoer
07:00 • 1min
What The Moviegoer is about
08:01 • 2min
Plotlessness as theme
10:14 • 1min
Character study: Binx Bowling
11:21 • 1min
Defining the Search
12:26 • 3min
Everydayness and Heidegger
15:25 • 3min
Philosophical influences in Percy's novel
18:51 • 4min
Introducing Kate and her struggle
23:19 • 4min
Parental expectations and social roles
27:10 • 2min
Meaning of the car crashes
29:37 • 42sec
Catholicism, Stoicism, and meaning
30:19 • 2min
Aunt's prescription for duty
32:14 • 1min
Interpreting the novel's ending
33:29 • 6min
Is marriage a satisfying cure?
39:41 • 1min
Novel as diagnostic rather than prescriptive
40:51 • 2min
Media-saturated lives and 'main character' energy
42:31 • 2min
Stoicism as a remedy
44:56 • 2min
Practical Stoic habits Ryan follows
46:31 • 31sec
How perception of The Moviegoer changes with age
47:02 • 2min
Small moments form wisdom
49:15 • 3min
Why readers should pick up The Moviegoer
51:54 • 2min
The Moviegoer vs. Catcher in the Rye
54:10 • 2min
Lightning round: favorite philosophers
56:27 • 2min
Texas, marketing, and Walker Percy recommendations
58:07 • 3min
Outro
01:01:12 • 31sec
#7454
• Mentioned in 5 episodes
Being in time
David John Farmer
Martin Heidegger's Being and Time is a seminal work of 20th-century philosophy.
It challenges traditional metaphysical assumptions and introduces concepts like 'being-in-the-world' and 'Dasein' to explore the nature of human existence.
The book is known for its dense and challenging prose, requiring careful and repeated readings.
Heidegger's work has had a profound influence on continental philosophy and continues to be studied and debated today.
Its exploration of fundamental ontological questions remains relevant to contemporary philosophical discussions.
#345
• Mentioned in 64 episodes
Conspiracy
Ryan Holiday
In 'Conspiracy', Ryan Holiday chronicles the intricate and ambitious plot by Peter Thiel to take down Gawker Media.
The book is based on interviews with key players and delves into the strategic and philosophical underpinnings of Thiel's actions.
It examines the intersection of power, privacy, and free speech in the digital age, highlighting the ruthless and brilliant tactics employed by Thiel.
The narrative transcends a simple tale of a billionaire vs.
a media empire, offering insights into the broader implications for culture and society.
#6200
• Mentioned in 6 episodes
Bright Lights, Big City
Jay McInerney
The novel follows a 24-year-old fact-checker for a highbrow magazine as he navigates the early 1980s yuppie party scene in New York City.
His life is marked by cocaine use, nightclubbing, and the recent departure of his wife, Amanda.
The story, written in the second person, delves into themes of grief, materialism, and the protagonist's gradual realization of the superficiality of his life.
The novel is a vivid portrayal of the excesses and disillusionments of the 1980s urban culture.
#277
• Mentioned in 75 episodes
The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger
The Catcher in the Rye follows Holden Caulfield, a teenager who has been expelled from Pencey Prep, as he spends three days wandering around New York City.
The novel explores Holden's disillusionment with the world around him, his feelings of loneliness and disconnection, and his struggle to find genuine relationships.
Despite his cynicism and criticism of others as 'phonies,' Holden reveals a deep emotional sensitivity, particularly in his interactions with his younger sister Phoebe.
The book delves into themes of adolescent angst, the loss of innocence, and the search for meaning and purpose in a seemingly superficial world.
#348
• Mentioned in 64 episodes
Fight Club
Chuck Palahniuk
James Colby
Jordi Cussà Balaguer
Javier Calvo Perales
The novel follows an unnamed protagonist struggling with insomnia and a meaningless corporate job.
He finds relief by attending cancer support groups, but his life changes when he meets Tyler Durden, a mysterious and charismatic figure.
Together, they establish an underground fight club, which evolves into 'Project Mayhem', a cult-like organization aimed at dismantling modern society through chaos and public unrest.
The book explores themes of toxic masculinity, consumerism, and the search for meaning in a postmodern world.
#10241
• Mentioned in 4 episodes
Franny and Zooey
J.D. Salinger
The book is composed of two sections, originally published as separate short stories.
The first part, 'Franny', follows Franny Glass, a college student, as she grapples with existential questions and a spiritual crisis triggered by her interest in the 'Jesus Prayer'.
Her breakdown leads her to return home, where her brother Zooey, a former child genius and aspiring actor, attempts to help her find peace.
The second part, 'Zooey', delves into their family's intellectual and spiritual background, particularly the influence of their older brothers, Seymour and Buddy.
Through intense dialogue, Zooey helps Franny reconcile her spiritual and personal beliefs, leading her towards a more balanced understanding of herself and the world around her.
#4222
• Mentioned in 9 episodes
The Moviegoer
Walker Percy
Walker Percy's "The Moviegoer" is a philosophical novel that explores themes of alienation, meaning, and the search for authenticity in modern society.
The story follows Binx Bolling, a young stockbroker in New Orleans, as he grapples with existential questions and the search for meaning in his life.
Percy's writing is characterized by its wit, intelligence, and insightful exploration of human nature.
The novel blends elements of Southern Gothic and existentialism, creating a unique and thought-provoking narrative.
It's a story about finding one's place in the world and the challenges of living a meaningful life.
#206
• Mentioned in 92 episodes
Wisdom Takes Work
Ryan Holiday
#51
• Mentioned in 205 episodes
Atlas Shrugged
Ayn Rand
Published in 1957, 'Atlas Shrugged' is Ayn Rand's magnum opus and her longest novel.
The story is set in a dystopian United States where increasingly burdensome laws and regulations strangle innovation and productivity.
The plot follows Dagny Taggart, a railroad executive, and Hank Rearden, a steel magnate, as they struggle against 'looters' who exploit their work.
A mysterious figure named John Galt leads a strike of productive individuals, persuading them to abandon their companies and disappear.
The novel culminates with Galt's three-hour radio speech explaining his philosophy of Objectivism, which emphasizes rational self-interest, individual rights, and the importance of the human mind.
The book explores themes of capitalism, property rights, and the failures of governmental coercion, presenting a provocative vision of a society in collapse and the potential for a new capitalist society based on Galt's principles.
#12285
• Mentioned in 3 episodes
Lancelot
Walker Percy
Lancelot by Walker Percy is a dark and provocative novel that follows the story of Lancelot Andrewes Lamar, a disillusioned lawyer who becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth about his wife's infidelity.
His quest leads him down a path of moral decay and violence, culminating in a tragic event that lands him in a mental institution.
Through Lancelot's narrative, Percy explores themes of existential crisis, moral ambiguity, and the search for meaning in a seemingly meaningless world.
According to Ryan Holiday, Walker Percy’s The Moviegoer is like the better, more mature cousin to The Catcher in the Rye. In this episode, Shilo Brooks sits down with the author and Daily Stoic founder to discuss the quiet Southern novel set in postwar New Orleans.
The book follows a Korean War veteran who has money, women, and a respectable job but whose inner life is defined by existential malaise and a spiritual itch that he calls “the search.” In the end, he resigns himself to the humdrum responsibilities of marriage and everyday life. Brooks and Holiday explore the book’s philosophical themes and its continued relevance in a media-saturated world where many of us, still starved for meaning, try to turn our own existence into a social-media performance.
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