The Catcher in the Rye

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Summary: catcher in the rye, the highschooler's point of view
Review: The Catcher in the Rye depressed me. It was the greatest book I had ever read, but it depressed me. I take a look at Holden Caulfield and then a look at myself, a highschool senior, not knowing which direction life is taking me. I feel his same fears, not knowing what to do, or what not to do, or how to feel about this, or how to feel about that. Quit blaming his actions on his youth, he is merely scared. He doesn't know what is around the corner, and I, as well as every highschooler are feeling this same exact way. Great book, please read it with an open mind.

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Summary: good book
Review: I generally am not much of a reader, but I really like Catcher in the Rye. This was a really easy book for me to get through. Finishing the book wasn't a struggle; I didn't lose interest and I easily understood the things going on in the plot. It didn't have boring irrelevant details like a lot of books, it didn't use bazaar words, etc. The things that Holden say are really entertaining and are shocking in certain points. The best thing about Catcher in the Rye, though, is that it's really easy to relate to many of the things that Holden says.

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Summary: good
Review: Talk about a character. Holden is great. It's not often that you feel such a strong connection with a character that isn't much like yourself, or so it was with me.

It's pretty high in the standings for best book ever.

You must read this

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Summary: The Catcher in the Rye is better than I thought!!!
Review: I was weary about reading this book at first, but after I got into it and could not let it down I realized how good it was. J.D. Salinger was a great writer of how he wrote excactly what Holden was thinking! I would recommend this to anybody!

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Summary: GROWIN UP
Review: CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger demonstrates, through the thoughts and actions of Holden Caulfield, the struggles of the adolescent years. On the surface, Holden is a disturbed young man. He refuses to get along with his peers, viewing them as "phonies." After being kicked out of yet another private school, he decides to leave for Christmas break early. Holden ends up spending several nights of self-discovery out on the streets of New York. He meets various alter-egos such as taxi drivers, a prostitute, and bar flies in his attempts to escape the "Ivy League" upbringing his parents have forced upon him. Through this experience, he learns that it is up to him to find his own place and happiness within society. CATCHER IN THE RYE dissects the fears, thoughts and turmoil of the young person's mind-- giving birth to an enjoyably insightful novel.

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Summary: A Must-Read!!
Review: After reading this book, I wouldn't go so far as to say that there is a Holden Caulfield in all of us. I will say that no matter how contentiously worded they are, Holden's complaints about society are warranted. The basis of his cynicism -which is, in short, the cruelties and shortcomings of human nature- is no less a substantial basis today than it was decades ago, when the book was written. Holden's psychological state magnetizes the analytical reader, and is a queerly nagging force that makes it almost uncomfortable to admit when som off-the-wall comment he spouts makes sense. There are no answers to life's questions in this book, but I recommend it to all who know better than to expect answers from a depressed and lonely teenaged boy.

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Summary: A Journey to Find the Meaning of Life.
Review: This is an interesting book, especially for people who have had experienced hard time during their teens, and also for teachers seeking to understand their student¡¯s perspective.

While reading this book, I, being a teenager myself, came to understand Holden, the main character. He isn¡¯t so different from some friends I know. It is my wish that there be more teacher who are willing to to love their students, and help them bestow meaning to their own lives.

Holden, when expelled from his prep school Pencey, leaves it as soon as he can. Taking care not to tell the news to his parents sooner than necessary, he lingers in New York. He encounters a series of incidents --- cab drivers, a prostitute, the two nuns¡¦ --- as he dives deeper into his ¡°phony¡± world.

Troubled adolescents like Holden are not rare these days. I realized that the source of such repugnance towards one¡¯s surroundings is lack of care. No one, at least it seemed so for Holden, cared enough to give attention to what was going on in his mind. The place, other than his home, that should take the blame more than anywhere else was Pencey. The school was full of phonies, because the curriculum was not so focused on making the students ¡°find the idea that fits one¡¯s mind best.¡± Finally, Phobe, the only person in the story that is capable of giving Holden the much needed affection and care, saves Holden from his deep fall and sets him straight.

This story, written in first-person narrative and conversational tone, ends with an happy ending. But I keep asking myself: Will every troubled boy find his Phoebe?

It depresses the hell outta me when I think about it.

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Summary: The Catcher in the Rye
Review: This book has, from the time it was written, been controversial - and to more conservative readers, it has been somewhat offensive. However, the case of this book should be judged only after one has read the book for one's self. The events, frustrated musings and reprobating mien that Holden Caulfield reveals to his audience - no matter how unsettling or contentiously expressed - have much to say about human nature, society and its agents, the family, death, and even homophobia. Readers will find themselves asking questions and will finish the book with either stongly opinionated answers, or an empathetic appretiation for what young people endure. I recommend this book to everyone with an open mind.

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Summary: Holden's World
Review: J.D. Salinger's _The Catcher in the Rye_ is a story about a disillusioned teenager named Holden Caulfield and his subsequent two-day visit to New York and the things he encounters there after being expelled from his prep school.

Holden Caulfield is a perceptive, sarcastic, intelligent personality who has resonated with readers everywhere. He makes critical, and often times humorous, observations of the adult world. He is able to see through all the "phoniness" and "crap" he encounters in New York's underbelly of bars and night clubs. But, at the same time, he struggles with his own burgeoning sexuality and loss of innocence as he makes his way closer to adulthood.

Holden tells his younger sister Phoebe that he wants to be a "catcher in the rye." Holden wants to be the one who stands at the edge of the cliff and save children from falling off. Holden's standing at the edge of the cliff represents his adolescent stage in life and his nearness to becoming an adult himself. He is in that angst-filled in-between stage in which he is still searching for an identity. The bottom of the cliff represents adulthood and the "phoniness," insincerity, moral corruption, and ridiculousness that is synonmous with it. Holden wants to save children from plunging into that adultworld where a child can inevitably lose his innocence.

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Summary: Hmmm...A Review of a book...weeeeee...
Review: When was the last time you met a truly satisfied and happy sixteen-year-old? I can honestly tell you that it has been quite a while for me. The Catcher in the Rye focuses in upon that particular aspect of teen life: depression and self-gratification. The main character, Holden, wants to be a "catcher in the rye," a savior of the innocence missing in the world around him, a world that has let him fall over the cliff into adulthood alone. He is tossed into a world that he knows very little about and must survive. This book is an excellent story and a masterpiece. It never should have been banned anywhere, but I can see why it was. Local color seems to play a big role in this book, the dialect and slang used by the characters like "ya" "trynna" and other "lazy American" talk. The presence of nightclubs and their role in New York's society is blatantly shown as incredibly important to both sexes. The illegal obtaining and consumption of alcohol is also a tie-in and customary past time for teens in the early fifties. Prostitution also ran rampant around that time, providing a multi-million dollar per capita business in New York alone. The recovery from WWII is also present as many women are still working and men coming home from the war are basically left at home, lest they force their wives out of their only chances at earning some money. Another direct reference to subjects taught to me in History class is when Holden attends a movie at Radio City Music Hall about WWII and his reference to the Atomic Bomb. This was present in the minds of most Americans at this time, the horrors and sheer power of the atomic bomb, and the fear that Russia and Germany may turn their scientific advancements in the atomic field on America during the Cold War. I have always dreaded any English teacher's favorite words: "This book is due…" Being an honors student I have heard this many, many more times than I ever wanted to in my life. I have always made it a point to NOT read the book because they always said, "Oh, you'll love it! It really is a good book, I promise you." To tell you the truth, I was seriously considering not reading this one either, but then I thought of the previous experiences with novels assigned to me by my history teachers. I couldn't think of one bad book I had ever read for History class aside from the textbook, so I read it and I am immensely glad that I did. This book embodies everything I stand for: misery, depression, solitude, atheism, and just plain not caring. Throughout this book, Holden proves the ignorance and stupidity of mankind and their uncaring and unthinking nature. For example twice he attempts to start conversations with his cab driver. Each time they either showed apathy or contempt to his attempts to brighten their days. How often I have tried to make conversation with someone I didn't know just so they couldn't say that I hadn't and virtually every time I have been snubbed while their noses stayed upturned to the world. This book is an excellent novel for anyone who is missing something in this world and wants to be a champion and help others while the rest of the world stands by and watches with apathy. This book opens all its readers to the world of a teenager, something that few books I have ever read have been able to do accurately. I have read books from my Mother's bookshelf about the psychiatry of the teenage mind. I would like to ask the authors of books like that one thing: If every teenager is different, as you have blatantly stated in you book, then how can you make generalizations like you do? This novel makes no generalizations, it is not about every teenager, it is about one, and that one experiences different people in his time in New York the same age as him, and they are all different. J. D. Salinger is a true magician. For anyone who wants to be a Catcher in the Rye, you should all read this book before you yourself have a nervous breakdown and end up in a rest home writing a novel.