The Catcher In The Rye

As the new year approached, Greg and I sat and discussed some goals that we wanted to work on. One of them for both of us was to read more. And to take it a step further, that once we read a book, we should record it and do book report, which will be more like reviews, here on our blog. I liked this idea because it will kind of memorialize all the books I read. Before going out and buying some (which is one of my favorite things to do) I’ve decided to first read all of the books on our shelves that have been begging to get read. I’ve got quite a few to get through- let me tell you. I’ll also start using Goodreads.com to track these books I’m reading. I seem to always forget about that account, but I must start using it as it is quite handy. My user name is AndreaRoyal – if you want to friend me, I’d love to see what you are reading too!

I decided to first start with a classic that somehow never ended up in the curriculum of any of the public schools I attended: The Catcher In The Rye, by J.D. Salinger. The only thing I had heard about this book is how much of a controversy it was. I thought it was going to be all anarchy and rage against the machine type of book. However, it was not. I was at first a little dumbfounded as to why in the world it would ever be controversial, and also, at first I wasn’t sure it was even going anywhere. But I quickly came to like the protagonist, Holden Caufield. He is just your average teenager who is totally disenchanted with humanity and his life. You realize that he is just a really good, and kind of heartbroken, lost kid.  By the end of it, I had wished I had read it when I was a teenager. I could have totally related to him then. And I think that is why it is such a classic…..so many teens feel those feelings he describes. All in all, I liked it, and I’m glad I read it. I give it three out of five stars! ***

Have you ever read it? How would you rate it?