Rating: 
Summary: Review for Lusk's class!
Review: The Catcher in the Rye has become one of my favorite novels. I feel as if I relate to Holden Caulfield, the main character in the novel. As a seventeen year old I am trying
to find my place in the world, similar to what Holden is going through, in the novel. He is struggling with conformity and the phony adults around him.
The novel takes you into the life of Holden a troubled boy, growing up in the 1950s, who continuously gets kicked out of schools he does not like. Holden is fighting the world of phonies, that he tries to avoid as he rows up. Holden expresses himself with profanity, even though it is not that bad, by today?s standards. The book also address issues of sexuality, insecurities, loneliness, and deception that comes with growing up. This novel discusses the moral, psychological, and intellectual development the main character.
Holden also has relationship problems. As the novel progresses Holden begins to alienate himself from others, as a way of protecting himself. He wears a red hunting hat as a way to alienate himself from others and to show that he is better than everyone else. This causes him to push people who care most about him further out of his life. Holden needs to interact with, but people usually confuse and disappoint him. He uses superiority as a type of self-protection, even though it is the cause of most of his pain. Holden never addresses his own emotions, nor does he attempt to interact with people. He tried to conceal his feelings from others, to prevent himself from being hurt, even though it caused him more pain, in the end.
Holden also begins to close off his family and friends when he continuously fails out of school. Holden?s family is from a higher class, and sends him to private schools. Holden fails out of every school that he attends. His family becomes disappointed, and cuts him off emotionally. Holden looses all of his girlfriends, because they see him as a
failure.
Overall the novel summarizes a troubled young man?s journey into the world of adulthood. Along the way the reader learns of Holden?s troubled relationships, lack of trust, and just plain awkwardness. This book is a must, especially if you are currently a young adult.
Rating:
Summary: Here's the problem with icons:
Review: You know what happens when something becomes too famous, too utterly successful that everyone has heard about it? People stop caring, the significance that gave this book its importance grows boring, overused. All the young writers who identified with this book keep re-telling the "Holden Caufield philosophy" because they stopped being individuals like their hero and sucked up something somebody else said. Holden is too familiar. We all know him. What's gonna happen when somebody says 'Who cares?'Nevertheless The Catcher in the Rye is a wonderfully well-written and entertaining novel about a self-absorbed little punk who thinks he is--and probably is--smarter than everyone else. But he's too young, too inexperienced, too unsure of himself to survive on his own. He questions everything until nothing has an answer and increases his frustration until he's completely unable to do anything but dream, imagine he were something else--a protector. He imagines he was somebody's savior. All subtextural religious nomenclature aside, this dream delves more deeply into the personality of the character, not some unattainable dream as the cynical and lacking in self-confidence narrator tries to tell you it is. It is about someone frustrated because he is unable to change the world around him and a quest he already knows will end in failure of escaping himself and retransforming his life into something more profound. Yes, this is an extraordinarily powerful book, filled with the cadence of lingo and slang to give you the feeling of having an actual conversation. And yet the problem of over-exposure cannot help but influence the outcome of experience. I remember hearing teachers and older siblings rave about this book when I was eight or nine or ten years old and when I got around to being assigned it myself I skipped it arrogantly and somehow got an 'A' on the paper just by copying down the hearsay and over-emphasis other people gave to the ability of someone else's story changing your own life. The fiction I submitted as my then analysis was lauded not because it was an accurate expression of opinion, but because it justified the teacher's own overwhelmed ideas regarding the novel's importance. It's a great book, truly. Just don't get bogged down by hype.
Rating: 
Summary: hm..?
Review: This book, to me, is a classic. I know that fact in itself is debatable and contraversial, but it is something I definitely believe. Before this book, I hadn't read anything that was written in the same style. I thought the way Salinger wrote was refreshing and perceptive. Perhaps not all teenagers think like this, but I don't think the book was meant to be a typical portrayl of a teenager. The one thing I liked most of all about the book was probably that he did seem to me like a real character. The way Salinger wrote the book almost seemed like her was telling a true story. The thing that affected me the most in this bok was the way it practically seemed to be screaming "ADD" rather than "spoilt rich kid". I would recommened this book to anyone simply to say they've read it. Whether you like it or not is up to you.
Rating:
Summary: Remember when you were a troubled teen?
Review: Or maybe you are a troubled teen right now. In any case, this is the book for anyone who is in or has experienced a childhood that you didn't think was happy happy joy joy (which should be about everybody). This book takes you into the life of Holden Caulfield, a troubled 14 or 15 y/o boy (some may call him a cynic) in the 1950s who got kicked out of a school he didnt like and is fighting the world of conformity and "phonies". Just because this book was written in the 50s does not mean that it doesnt apply to modern life because it does, we may have experienced some of the situations he has and can relate to it. He says everything in this book that you're afraid to say complete with profanity (the profanity isn't all that bad, its nothing all of us havent heard already) and it's even bold enough to address sex and they way we feel about it at this age. It's my favorite book of all time because of how open and true it is. It has many themes and symbols and it's just great to read again and again. You will not regret buying this book because it is a must read for EVERYONE!!
Rating:
Summary: Every High School English Must
Review: This is the only book I was glad I read in high school. Everyone especialy in this decade can relate to the main charater in this book. The best thing about it is it isnt a normal edited parental aproved book. J.D, Salinger writes as a normal kid would talk not like an english professor's kid would talk.
Rating:
Summary: Grand, now there's a word that really describes this book...
Review: I adore this book. I think that more people should read it, and especially use the vocabulary, because it's really awesome. It's not just a great novel, it's a dictionary for really swell words from the 1950's, and also has one of the hippest characters ever. Holden Caulfield is my hero. It is by far JD's best book, actually it's his only novel, the rest of his books are short stories, mostly about the Glass family. I guess once you've written the best why try the rest? I love how the book portrays the mind of teenagers. I think that everyone can identify with The Catcher in the Rye because most people have had a time in their lives when the world is totally open to you, and you're still completely lost. Also, it is one of the funniest books I've ever read, because Holden's ideas are so honest about everyone but himself, although he acknowledges, as does the rest of the world, that he's a madman. When we read this book at school some people didn't enjoy it because they thought that it was hard to follow, but given its world-wide popularity I think that it is definitely worth at least trying to read, and nearly everyone who does really passionately loves it, as I do.
Rating:
Summary: Digression, Digression, Digression
Review: This book is one for people who like DIGRESSION. This book is nothing but digression. As most teen-agers, I enjoy digression so I enjoyed the book. Thanks Mr. Barnes!...
Rating:
Summary: My Hero
Review: Until I met Holden Caulfield, I thought I was the only kid in the world whose life was messed up. Holden taught me that it is on to be different, ok to be afraid, ok to not have every single detail of your life planned. And he taught me that it is ok to pursue your dream. Who cares if someone else thinks your dreams are ludicrous? Holden's sister Phoebe thought he was nuts because he wanted to catch kids falling off a cliff. Well, who is anyone to say what is ridicudlous or what is not? Is wanting to be a "catcher in the rye" different than wanting to be a writer or a fireman or an Oympic champion? Parents hated Holden Caulfield because he was the antithesis of everything that they were taught. As kids growing up in the 50's
we were taught that you should join the poshest clubs and pursue the job with the biggest salary and do everything and be the best
not because you wanted to be but because it satisfied your parent's ego. Parents wanted all their kids to be Beaver Cleaver and Bud Anderson. There were alot more kids out there like Holden than there were like Beaver or Bud. This book provided those of us, like me, who didn't fit in, with comfort and the knowledge that it was ok to be different (like in the movie "Pleasantville" when Tobey Maguire told his mother "There is no right life". ) Holden said it first. Salinger didn't invent Holden Caulfield - thousands of them existed. But thank God he had the courage to write about him.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best.
Review: The name Holden Caulfield is synonimous with Revolting youth and a desire to break off from authorities grip. This book is one of my personal favorites of all time. It gives us all an alternative view. It causes me to think about the choices I do have in my boring little life. The options are limitless and without rules. To me that is powerfull.
Rating:
Summary: BLAST OF A BOOK DUDE
Review: 'The Catcher in The Rye' is an especially good book.... one of the best I ever read. In this fabulous book by J D Salinger, there is this hell of a crazy guy called Holden Caulfield. He is kicked out of his school because he had failed in every subject except English. He has two older brothers... one of them died and the other is working in Hollywood. He's also got a younger sister who's his favourite. As I said before Holden Caulfield is a 'close to crazy' guy. He is the narrator of the story. Mr. Salinger uses slangs and very informal writing to describe vividly what is going on and what are Holden's feelings. What happens is that after Holden is kicked out of school, he goes to live in a hotel, and then goes to his teacher's house... but does not like either of them. In parts of the story he talks about his love life... how he gone out and made time with his girlfriends and all. After all that stuff, Holden goes to his own home and talks to his favourite little sister Phoebe about his situation secretly... because he didn't want his parents to know that he's been kicked out. He decides to go away somewhere far away from his living place because he hates his present home. But Phoebe wants to go too... and for her sake Holden stays and that's the end of the book. It is named 'The Catcher in The Rye' because of a very small reason inside the book. Once when Phoebe asks Holden what he wants to be when he grows up, this crazy guy answers that he wants to be at the edge of a cliff where all little girls are playing and he just wants to catch whoever is in the verge of falling off. He names this dumb occupation as the 'catcher in the rye'. In all, this is a fabulous creation by J D Salinger. There is very good humour and descriptiveness, and it didn't take me long to list 'The Cathcer in The Rye' as one of my favourite books.
| 
