The Catcher in the Rye

gingergirl455 shared a tip "This is my husband and I's favorite book. We discovered it separately in our lives but after we met we discovered it was both of our favorites. We have a great deal in common, including our love of Holden Caulfield."

sunshine_4594 shared a tip "When I first picked up this coming of age story, I couldn’t read more than a couple of pages before I put it down. It felt repetitive, with no plot and only the thought streamline of an angry teen. A couple of days ago decided to give it ago and it felt like a helluva sad book 😭. It’s about the struggle of growing up in a world of “phonies”, especially when there’s no one you could rely on for help. Holden obviously suffers from serious mental health issues and he kind of avoids confronting them. As you read further you find out that the language in which it’s written apparently reflects the main character’s mental state."

yurim shared a tip "My favorite book. Beautifully relatable, paints a very human and raw experience. Not only that but: I read this at 15, so confused at what this book was trying to convey until around 40-50% in, it set in to me. I think this book means different things for different people. I understand the book, personally. And in my own way at that. This is a very special kind of book, it was very avant garde to 15 year old me to see a book with such a strange and unclear plot. That’s until I realized the utter beauty and detail that Salinger put into this book. This book left me inspired and appreciative of the beauty in the little things in the world. It sounds simple, like, “But I can understand that without reading this book!”. But something about the way this book puts it into words and captures life in a magnificently real lense.. is beautiful. And well documented. Has you really loving the world and loving this book for putting it into the most vivacious and accurate sentences. Very sorry to see a lot of people didn’t find it as thought provoking or lovely as I did. I argue passionately, despite many of other people’s comments, Holden is more than a mentally ill edge-lord. I think those are two very off-to-the-side traits about him, though they are conspicuous. Holden, and Salinger, work in unison to show us the world for what it is. Disgustingly accurate depictions of everyday life and perceptions of it. You see it [life] everyday, but once you see it written in these words, the utmost subtle and forgettable details become beautiful and appreciated."

shantalle shared a tip "It’s a read, but I think other novels are more impactful than this one. Maybe I just need to re-read it since it’s been years since I last read it."

eli.hannah shared a tip "I love this book. It’s one of my new favorite books of all time. Defiantly gives The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Also I’m a little too similar to Holden for my own comfort (to anyone reading this, am not a man so don’t be worried haha)."

iciclestars shared a tip "My thoughts of this book changed so much over time and probably will continue changing. The way you view this book is a mindset and a perspective, making the book easy to hate and easy to love. When I look at his actions alone, which is super easy to do when you’re 13 years old and have no idea how to really study literature, Holden is kinda just a selfish, terrible, whiny person. When you look at the big idea, the book’s setting, date of publication, who the author is, the story’s themes as a whole, Holden becomes a lot more complex, harder to hate, and, dare I say, relatable. After all, it is frustrating to accomplish a goal that you know is impossible in the world you live in. He struggles so much with rejecting the world that adults want him to grow into while, at the same time, wanting to be somewhat mature at the same time. This is a struggle many youths experience with wanting to be treated like an adult and being excited with entering the adult world, until they begin to understand what the adult world is like. Whenever I don’t like the way a character acts or behaves, I have to remind myself- “what has this character been through?” “What is the reason for his actions and behavior?” “What is the story’s setting and how does it affect the character?” “Who is the author?”. All of these amongst many more are important questions to ask when reading a book, and while I still dislike Holden, I’ve come to appreciate and understand him as a character so much more."

booksequalsbae shared a tip "Soo good I actually liked it despite people saying it wasn’t good. Read it sophomore year of high school and it hooked me in an instant."

sydney_g_4237 shared a tip "I feel like people who vilify the main character are forgetting that he is a) severely mentally ill and b) literally 16 years old. Both factors would account for how ‘whiny’ he is most of the time. I don’t expect everyone to like the book, but i find it weird how many people outright hate Holden."

alison_blee_2279 shared a tip "Hilarious, soul-crushing, life changing. Holden Caulfield is a universally relatable protagonist and The Catcher in the Rye is a timeless coming of age story that reminds the reader of the pain of growing up"

jody_baer-swanson shared a tip "People either love this or hate it. In my opinion (3rd party with no personal interest in the matter) I think the people who dislike it do so because they either do not realize or cannot relate to the main character, Holden, is mentally ill."

christian_bell shared a tip "I’ve read this classic a few times. I didn’t get it until the 2nd or 3rd reading. Once I understood it had a profound effect. Must read material."

rosie_walker shared a tip "I had to read this in High School. I hated the book as I grew up with a Holden like character, in fact friends of mine were in class with him when this was assigned. can not recommend this book"

griffin_gudaitis shared a tip "Don’t read any recommendation. Read the book. It doesn’t help having some preconceived notion what unfolds in the page. The book changed my life, and number of review online can really replicate how that book makes a reader feel. Fair warning: I’ve had readings of it and hated it. Other times, I felt eh by the end. And the last, I loved it. Regardless, my life would not be the same if it weren’t for J.D. Salinger’s masterpiece. This is something so relatable in the colloquial, teenager dialogue yet utterly profound in its relatability to anyone. If you don’t like the main character, that’s fine. But if you liked Perks of Being a Wallflower or anything by John Green, those books would not exist without Catcher. I guarantee that."

sophie_clark_4692 shared a tip "This was quite an easy read and overall recommend for the literature aspect, but the story itself is okay, very slow. The book really shows when the book was written and shows a fight shading social norms. 7/10"

paul_massey shared a tip "I like it! I recently re read this, because it's been since high school since I read it last, and like most things, I got something completely different from it reading it again after a lifetime or experiences."

OpenaCanDan shared a tip "Not a recommendation, but the opposite. I think this novel is one of the most overrated book in the American canon of literature. Most American high school students cannot relate to Holden Caulfield and his simpering self-pity."

rob_runyon shared a tip "I read this every couple of months and still find myself frustrated and as curious as I was the first time I read this in highschool. Holden is a deeply flawed character that resonates with some deeply flawed parts of myself. It has become my favorite book. An old weathered and well read copy is in the side pocket of my laptop bag at all times. Within the last 20 or so years it has become a sort of best friend. I do understand the issues with that. Holden is not a literary character to idolize, but I can't help but find a certain clumsy camaraderie with him as a deeply flawed man. Worth the read."

maggie_robinson shared a tip "I do NOT identify with Holden Caufield in any way. Holden is the original white male privelege. The one where beta villains were created. Contemporary bully romances exist because THEY identify with Holden. Hardin of the After series has walked in Hardin’s shoes. If you want to know how the dark, bad, evil, and entitled young man came to be in literature - this is your read. By the way - this book is HORRIFICALLY problematic in current times. Just know that going in. Don’t hate, just read."

daniel_huerta_3841 shared a tip "I read this book while in a "prison" of sorts. Have to say, I see myself as the main character in this book. It almost feels like I am the main character."

lemonlemon shared a tip "Bro I am literally Holden reincarnated. I honestly don’t understand why people think it’s boring? I picked it up cuz I like Pencey Prep (a band whose name comes from this book), and I ended up liking the book."

gracrye.cn shared a tip "I find Holden to be a very relatable character,even though he’s a big a hole.Holden is just grieving and fighting against growing up,which I think most of us do at time.The plot is pretty boring,but something made me keep reading.I love the message that this book told and I recommend it.8/10"

ron_rozenberg shared a tip "This is a book that can never be replicated as it has been a staple to mine and many people's lives (personal family, and friends). There is a reason why when Salinder came from war world 2 he didn't write a book about it like Ford Madox Ford, instead he wrote a book about phonies. Usely I make a rule not to write essays like these or reread a books multiple times, but this book is so important to me that I made it an exception. So, as I cringe at myself in my bathroom with absolutely nothing to do as my summer litterly just begins, already bored out of my mind because of this dumb Quarantine. I give it a 10000000000000/10. And if you are a teenager reading to this point, I am positive you are as bored as me, and I hope you find something for this terrible summer. (By the way I litterly wrote about a 1000 character essay for the first hours of my summer. If that doesn't describe my boredom, I don't know what can.) Again have a good summer."

valerie_smith_2075 shared a tip "No one told me he had autism, and that was what was so unnerving for me as someone undiagnosed as a young adult. I used to hate this book because it made me uncomfortable. Gain some perspective from this book and enjoy how lovingly he just wants to hold the world."

dalton_smith_6884 shared a tip "No matter how many times I read this book I always come away with something different. Holden is a flawed protagonist, but at his core he is searching for something meaningful in a world that feels empty and performative and thats a feeling we all have experienced at a young age!"

racheonpluto shared a tip "i hold this book very close to my heart. i’m a pretty strong believer in reading a book for yourself and forming your own opinions on it. for me, this book grabbed me and never let me go. real tears were shed! i don’t know what that really says about me, but what i know is that everyone should at the very least give this book a shot. and knowing the history behind it makes it hold so much more value imo <3"

nick_lehotsky shared a tip "Start with Salinger’s short fiction (Nine Stories, Franny & Zooey; Raise High the Roofbeams, Carpenters; and Seymour: An Introduction). Makes hearing this lil ween more hilarious and less rage-inducing."

danielle_rasmussen shared a tip "This is one of those where some ansty teens (and adults) miss the point by idolising the main character. That was me. I was teens. But it’s a good story."

ra_shina shared a tip "This book is the taste of moldy cardboard incarnate - unpalatable and unimpressive while nauseatingly wet with thin, grasping meaning. The fact anyone could kill over this garbage makes me question why society doesn't unravel at a sneeze."

aliahmarie shared a tip "TW // mentions sexual abuse,, it doesn’t really say it like in detail or even say it out right, it’s just interpreted by the male lead that he thinks something creepy is going on… I can go into further detail if someone needs me to"

madison_murphy_797 shared a tip "Amazing read! 10/10 would recommend to anyone. Holden is such a relatable main character. (Definitely neurodivergent coded). I loved this book so much! It takes place over only 2 days and you forget that it's simply just a day in his life."

madison_murphy_797 shared a tip "Holden's playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2n9XYd58ryyHYXfwbuLLJb?si=ZvVNiBQ3QsSWED0QaaZk9Q&utm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1"

ellareadsbooks shared a tip "At first I didn’t really understand why it was so popular, by after some research I was shocked at how meaningful this book is to society. Read and do lots of research after."

mckayla_buell shared a tip "It’s a classic for a reason and always worth a read! It’s funny, smart, original and the character development is one of it’s best aspects."

jill_hsu shared a tip "What an interesting book. I read it during my last year of high school and wow. I can related to Holden, although his mind is a little more of a black hole than mine. It’s relatable. Him as a human being who has no idea of his mental well being."

blanca_alvarado_1555 shared a tip "Read this back in high school for one of my ap English classes and I actually enjoyed it. At the time, I related to the main character quit a bit. And it this book actually helped me feel not as alone."

shortbutsweet shared a tip "this book changed my ******* life. i read this for the first time 2 weeks before we unknowingly read it in class my junior year of high school. i read it over 4 times that month. it’s one of those books you either hate or love it. holden’s views were very applicable to my own at times in my life. and he might just be he building block to a profound literacy center of all the troubled people to gather. there’s so much interpretation to argue about in this book. it might be-"