From the Bookshelf of Never too Late to Read Classics…

The Catcher in the Rye

J.D. Salinger

Start date: May 15, 2016

Finish date: June 14, 2016

Discussion: Children's Classics Buddy Reads

Discussion leader: Rosemarie

Why we're reading this: YA Classic came in 3rd in the Poll.
[close] YA Classic came in 3rd in the Poll.

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Children's Classics Buddy Reads

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What Members Thought

Oct 10, 2011 midnightfaerie rated it liked it

Shelves: classics, rory-gilmore

I’ll confess that when I first read this, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. I don’t always catch the analogies hidden beneath the surface or the social implications of what the book could be about. All I knew was this was on the classics list, I hadn’t read it, and it was one of the most banned books in history, based on language, violence, promiscuity, and the threat of encouraging moral decay. The book is about a young teenage boy named Holden who gets kicked out of many schools. It’s al I’ll confess that when I first read this, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. I don’t always catch the analogies hidden beneath the surface or the social implications of what the book could be about. All I knew was this was on the classics list, I hadn’t read it, and it was one of the most banned books in history, based on language, violence, promiscuity, and the threat of encouraging moral decay. The book is about a young teenage boy named Holden who gets kicked out of many schools. It’s all about him and his rebellion at everything. It’s said that it’s an analogy for growing up. All I saw was a teenager who saw through a lot of people’s bullshit and walked away depressed because of it. He expressed himself as most teenagers of his time, granting Salinger a comment in excellence at his portrayal of a young boy’s angst. But other than that, I can’t say it moved me too much.

After mulling it over for awhile, I think there were some themes dealing with a coming of age and lost innocence. I could see that in his dream, he was seeing himself leaving childhood and becoming the much dreaded adult. I also saw some of where Holden spoke much of what he didn't like in people that could probably be construed as racist. In today's politically correct world I can see how that would rub people the wrong way. I'm a big fan of telling it like it is and I think his honesty at his prejudices make him a deeper more developed character. I heard a quote once that said, "You show me a man who's not prejudice, and I'll show you a really good liar. - Anonymous" I completely agree.

I also often agreed with young Holden in his views of how “phony” people could be, especially when he comments how when a girl he doesn’t like asks him to join her at her table in a bar, he’s forced to join her or leave…and thinks how often people just “mess stuff up for you”. He was irritated because he had to leave. Over all, I can’t say it was a page turner, but I would have to recommend it for the sheer fact that it was banned so many times and has become so controversial. I believe there are much more controversial books out there and it never ceases to amaze me which the general public tend to focus on. I also believe that the social and historical context of a book needs to be looked at when evaluating whether or not it should be a classic. I think for the time period of when this book came out, it was very controversial and prompted people to fight against the system, especially the young, which was another reason why it was probably banned. Due to the underlying themes, unique style of writing, the fact that it has a huge following, and that it is so controversial, I label it a classic as well. It takes time to appreciate some books some time, but perseverance always allows the greatness of a story to shine through.

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Jan 04, 2016 Ashley W rated it liked it

Shelves: genre-realistic, 0stand-alone, 201-300-pages

Holden's sense of humor saved this book from being a total bore. I really don't get how he's "the voice of a generation". All I see is a sarcastic ass. The only thing that really makes him likable it's the time he spent with his sister. I get that this book is considered "episodic" but I didn't like the lack of flow. It was like reading a bunch of disjointed short stories. I'm not even sure what the big deal is. ...more

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Sep 28, 2011 Nancy added it

I read this book in high school, and it just didn't get to me. I have thought about reading it again, to see what I missed the first time around. ...more

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