The Catcher in the Rye

Rating:
Summary: This book hits sooo close to home
Review: When I first picked up Catcher in the Rye, around three months ago (my mom said I would love the book and that I should read it at thirteen...so of course I avoided it at all costs;) I was in really bad shape emotionally. I, 16, have been frustrated with school and was having trouble relating to all of humanity (I'm kind of messed up to begin with, but this was bad.) I basically buried my entire life into the my music, or the viola (I still do, actually) and I blatantly refused to put even the slightest effort into school (its pretty Totalitarian in New York....regents) and I felt like no one understood me. Then I finally discovered Holden.
He helped me through this school year, I swear to god. Everything he said I could immediatly relate to, every word that came out of his mouth seemed to give me a new hope for humanity; He helped me beleive that i wasn't alone in a world that is blinded by money and snobbery and pointless fads, and I finally didn't feel like such a loner anymore (I was into music, but it was totally ego driven at school and everyone [was bad] anyways.)
I enjoyed Holden's adventure because he didn't do what society wanted him to do- he knew that if he were to find his soul and niche in the world he couldn't conform to other's expectations. He was, whether anyone thinks so or not, a brilliant and creative person whom was lost in the world, and not only did I identify with him as a Teenager but also as an aspiring creative mind.
Along with Catcher in the Rye there are two other things, in different media forms, that I adore and beleive the Holden fans will adore also. They are the comic book and Movie Ghost World. Ghost world, like Catcher, has a very bitter and cynical theme, and the plot also takes a backseat to the emotions and impulses of the character (another part of Catcher that I loved) I won't get into Ghost world-I'll just say that it is unbeleivable and visionary, like catcher

Ignore the many Gramatical errors...I really don't [care] if they were there or not so I didn't check

Rating:
Summary: The "NEW" Catcher in the Rye
Review: ...One of the cover notes caught my attention. It said that WILL, who's this medicated Holden-type, just entering freshman year in college, is like Thomas Pynchon's "Crying of Lot 49" told by Holden Caufield.

WILL's world isn't like Holden's New York, which is where I'm from. WILL lives right now, with malls and cell phones and laptop computers and Prozac.

But WILL's still looking for meaning, like Holden did. Only the references in WILL are more contemporary. And it's funnier than Catcher! Check the online reviews.

WILL cracks up just as badly as Holden does. I won't tell you why. And he's failing everything, too. Plus, the "meds" they prescribe for him don't make the world seem any less meaningless.

But the book is so funny that you just kind of forget how bad things are... for awhile.

Like another reader of Catcher says, it's "additive." You can read WILL two or three times. it sticks with you. And how many other books really do?

Rating:
Summary: excellent book
Review: Holden Caulfield is a troubled teen. He gets kicked out of yet another boarding school and is afraid to let his parents know, so he goes back to New York and lives on his own for a while. His younger brother died as a child, and his kid sister is wise beyond her years. He doesn't respect many people, but he respects his sister. Throughout the story, you really feel like you know Holden. The way Salinger wrote the book, the reader can picture this cynical 17-year-old sitting across from you telling his story, slang and all. Narrated by Holden, the story is a look into the teenage mind and a source of release for teens. In the story, he states what he feels about people and things. He describes in such detail what people do, why it bothers him, and when he's nervous, you can feel the sweat trickling down your own tense face.

This novel by JD Salinger was absolutely phenomenal. It is a great book for frustrated teens who feel strongly about things they don't think anyone else does. I understand why this book would be banned, reading the language and some content, but overrall this is an excellent book. Other teens my age are still reading The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but I prefer to read this story. It is not only a teenage boy, Holden Caulfield, telling about his messed up life, it is a portrait of humanity. reading this book, I was captivated by the descriptions of people, places, and events in the book. I was surprised and pleased to see that other people feel the same way I do. This book was also very infuencial to me. I don't mean that I got expelled from my school or began mixing in one swear word for every five other words, but I began to feel what was going on around me. I do things I want to, like Holden wearing the weird hat regardless of others, appreciating my kid sister, and I even started saying "it kills me" at brief intervals like the main character. Take it from me, this book is good.

Rating:
Summary: What scares me most...
Review: 'And indeed we see it ever falleth out that the forbidden writing is thought to be certain sparks of a truth that fly up in the faces of those that seek to choke it, and tread it out.'
-- Francis Bacon

It has often been commented upon that the best way for an author to achieve fame (and, if still alive, fortune) is to have his or her book banned. Of course, one has to play it right. Part of Galileo's initial fame came from the efforts of the Church to suppress his writings--as he stayed in Church-dominated areas, he didn't achieve much fortune.

Controversy worked well also for J.D. Salinger (Jerome David Salinger). He was an American-born (actually, New York City-born) author whose only enduringly popular piece has been 'Catcher in the Rye', which continues to sell a quarter-million copies annually.

'Catcher in the Rye' follows the tale of Holden Caulfield, a boarding-school truant who critiques society and himself in the course of trying to achieve adulthood, most expressly typified by the typical American rite of passage, that of losing one's virginity. Caulfield is in many ways a typical male adolescent, both naive and worldly in an odd mixture; both passionate and violent without mature ways of expression; sullen, withdrawn, yet yearning for acceptance and love.

In many ways it has become an anthem or manifesto of violence against a phoney system. The man who shot John Lennon was influenced by this book, as was the man who shot Ronald Reagan. 'What scares me most is the other guy's face...'

Of course, to ban this book is to admit that there is something that needs to be considered and dealt with about youthful, and particularly male youthful, drives and desires. So much of society seems inadequate to the task of giving a framework for this. Lest you think I am decrying modern society in favour of a 'Father Knows Best' world, remember -- 'Catcher in the Rye' was published in 1951. There is something timeless about the struggles of adolescence. There is likewise something timeless about the overall difficulty of dealing with society which is simultaneously moralising and falling from grace.

This is no case of banning Edmund Crull's treatise on the curing of venereal diseases (circa 1708, a quack treatise that always advocated cures that, not surprisingly, could always be procured in Crull's shop); it really isn't even of the calibre of a banning a la D.H. Lawrence, which could have a more prurient element as the focus of the bans -- 'Catcher in the Rye' is in issues of language and sexual expression in no way untypical of many unbanned books. But, it espouses a critique of society that is uncomfortable while using a base language and subject to do so -- this is a combination, a pile of straws with one straw too many, for many jurisdictions to bear.

So, as D.H. Lawrence would perhaps pen, the 'censor-moron is on the loose'.

In John Guare's recent play/film, 'Six Degrees of Separation', the character Paul states that his thesis in college had been on 'Catcher in the Rye'. He launches into his own analysis of the text with his own critique of society, made all the more ironic as the play progresses by the fact that Paul is every bit as phony as the society which both he and Caulfield blast with scathing observation. In essence, they are right at home, save for the fact that they both make the more comfortable set less comfortable.

A book worthy of being banned is worthy of being read! I don't know, in point of fact, that I would recommend the book (not really my kind of literature), save for the banning. And thus, the censors lose again.

Rating:
Summary: Has anyone NOT read this book?
Review: The quintessential coming of age book. Holden Caulfield is on the lam from the prep school he's flunked out of. His name alone has become synonomous with teenage angst. Sad, enlightening, hilarious, ultimately hopeful, if you haven't yet read it, do so. Then buy another copy and give it to your favorite teen.

Rating:
Summary: Well done
Review: The first time I read this book I thought that Holden had the world figured out. The second time I read it I saw how deeply troubled he actually was. The last time I read it I realized that this book was about me.

Rating:
Summary: One of a Kind
Review: The Catcher in the Rye is a CLASSIC! Even from the first page you are sucked into the book and are trapped inside until you finish it. It will not let you go until you know what happens to our friend, Holden. His crazy life, family, friends, and expressions capture the reality of teenage American life. I was 16 when I read it and I believe it is the best remedy for a confused teenager or a adult who longs for his or her teenage years.

Rating:
Summary: Simple, but not too bad. Nothing phony at all.
Review: I can see why people wouldn't like this book and all. Really. I can. But, me, on the other hand, liked this book and all. It was a riot. A real riot....

People may not like this book because it obviously has very simple language at points and, as a reader, we are never given the point-of-view of other characters. However, I felt the simplicity of the novel gives it it's effect. Holden takes the world as being simple, yet there are many complex issues he must deal with.He is searching for his identity and the reason that most people are "phonies" is because he still hasn't completely figured out the world. Personally I felt as though the book couldn't have been written from any other point of view than 1st person and still achieved it's effect. I read the book rather quickly because it is as if someone is sitting there telling you their life story...well, in a way, Holden is. I recommend this book to anyone because it is original and definitely not boring. It is a book that many relate to, because it deals with the teenage world that we've all been a part of.

I still don't think this book is anything better than 3 stars because it is rather simplistic in nature. However, I can understand why people consider it a classic.

Rating:
Summary: wonderful and intreging
Review: Thhis book is amazing. It is about a boy named Holden Caufield and his journy through the life of a prep school. Salinger takes an unapealing bad boy and makes you intreged by him, even love him. You just keep wanting to learn more about this strange but lovable boy. When i finished this book, i almost missed Holden. I loved this book and strongly suggesst it to people of all ages.

Rating:
Summary: simply amazing
Review: This is my favorite book of all time. There is so much symbolism and so much personification that you will find yourself believing that you actually know the main character. This book sends a strong message to all readers about growing up and protecting yourself and others from falling into a world full of phonies. This is one of the greatest books ever written.