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Dylan | Freehold High School, Grade 12
Rating: ***
The book “The Catcher in the Rye” by J. D. Salinger is about a sixteen year-old named Holden Caulfield. After being expelled from his fourth prep school due to his poor academic performance, Holden leaves and spends the next few days in New York City. Alone in New York, Holden meets up with old teachers, old friends, and his sister on his way home. This is a coming-of-age story of an angsty teenager that focuses on the topics: the loss of innocence and growing up.
Reading this in class, I noticed that the book is extremely polarizing. There are people who enjoy the book, and those who do not. I personally didn't enjoy the book. What it essentially boils down to is whether or not you can identify with Holden or not. Holden is the narrator and he tells the story from his edgy, teenage mentality of the world. Salinger writes the novel to imitate the thoughts of a teenager, and that can be refreshing to some, while being annoying to others. Personally, I found it annoying, due to Holden’s incessant whining and hypocrisy throughout the story.
Naomi | Howell High School, Grade 11
Rating: *****
Catcher in the Rye is a relatable story about a teenage boy entering adolescence. Holden Caulfield has a hard time accepting the predictable expectations of society, and why people behave the way they do. Holden builds up such a hate for the world that he decides to “devote his life” to being as different from the ordinary as possible. The pressures of his parents for him to stay in a good school are sometimes too much to bear. Holden has a difficult time passing his classes, not because he can’t handle them, but because the professors are too “phony” for him, along with the extent of the rest of the student body. He flunks out and enters the real world for a weekend of visiting some of his old friends and teachers. During this period, Holden embarks on a journey of adolescence, realizing the complications that the adult world brings with it.
The book is a true depiction of a teenager loosing their innocence through a number of ways. Being that the book is geared towards teens, I think it does a great job at shining the light on how unforgiving the real world can be. Most of can’t wait to grow up and gain our independence, but Catcher in the Rye shows that remaining safe in our childhood is much safer than being out on our own. Overall, I can with confidence say that the book earns a solid five stars. Being able to relate to the narrator made the story all the more personal, and I enjoyed every second of it. The plot throws out event after event, keeping readers consistently on their toes. Anyone who finds the idea of being alienated from the rest of society as interesting, should 100% give this book a read.
Isabella | Howell High School, Grade 10
Rating: ****
The classic coming of age novel centered around Holden Caulfield, obsessed with escaping his world and maintaining innocence. With Holden as the narrator, we see everything from his outcast point of view, creating rude nicknames for everyone, seeing everything half glass empty, and hating the world. With Holden as the narrator, we see the world from the true angsty teen perspective. His whole character is revolved around the idea of protecting childhood innocence from the fall to adulthood, which is pretty much why he does what he does. Why he acts out and gets expelled. Why he runs away to New York. Why he tries to understand the real world.
This book is taught and aimed toward teens, as we can relate to the narrator, which is why so many love this book and so many hate this book. It all depends on how much the reader can relate to Holden, and I personally loved this book. The reader can see an accurate depiction of what goes on in a teen’s mind as we face the reality of adulthood. Though at times the narrations can seem annoying and judgy, that’s what we teens are. We’ve all at times never wanted to grow up, or thought of our teachers as a phony, or just wanted a whole.
Katrine | Manalapan High School, Grade 11
Rating: ***
The novel begins in Pencey prep school, where Holden Caulfield is struggling to maintain his grades and create meaningful bonds with his other classmates. He visits his teacher, Mr. Spencer to say goodbye before leaving Pencey Prep forever. They have a serious conversation about the reasons he failed his classes and why he frequently switched school districts. However, Holden doesn’t want to explain since he doubts his concerned teacher would understand. Throughout the story, Holden discovers a desire to find independence in a world full of opportunities.
One aspect of The Catcher in the Rye I found intriguing was Holden’s perspective of his peers. He despises the students in his boarding school because of their phoniness. By focusing on the negative qualities of people, he fails to take the time and learn about the individual beneath the surface. This can be one of the several lessons a reader can gain from reading this book. Although this is not usually the kind of books I read, this was an interesting and dynamic take of a teenager’s perspective in the outside world.
Jack | Biotechnology High School, Grade 10
Rating: ***
Holden Caulfield is a troubled teenager on a journey through adolescence. After being kicked out of a 4th prep school, the reader follows Holden through his meandering life of meeting random people and his adventures with them. All of this in just a few days before he must return back home and face his disappointed parents.
The Catcher in the Rye is JD Salinger’s pride and joy. So much so that Salinger became a recluse living in the woods and never allowing his book to become a movie. Its popularity may be due to its ability to tell two very different stories. Holden is this judgmental and cynical narrator that tells everything with a certain lens, but the reader learns different things once other characters are able to talk without Holden’s filter. It also may be due to people able to relate to Holden, being isolated and lonely, desperately clinging to innocence while on the precipice of adulthood. Whichever way a person views it, the book is a masterpiece through and through, although the protagonist may get on your nerves every once in a while.
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