The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye is a novel by author J. D. Salinger.  It was first published in 16 July 1951.

The book is about a young man, Holden Caulfield, who travels home after being expelled from an exclusive preparatory school. Instead of going directly home, Caulfield takes a wandering trip, thinking about what he wants to tell his family, and how best to deal with being kicked out of school. Caulfield narrates the story himself, to a psychoanalyst. (Hints are made as the story moves forward, that he is in a mental hospital. At the end of the book this is revealed.)

The book contains many profanities, and many people do not like the book for that reason. It was banned in many places. Other people see the profanity as Caulfield's way of showing his feelings of frustration and isolation with life. Many young people, boys in particular, relate to the story and its language, and feel that Caulfield would understand them if he knew them. For this reason, many schools require their students to read it.

Related pages
 Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century

References

Category:1951 books
Category:20th-century American novels
Category:New York City in fiction
Category:Obscenity controversies
Category:Counterculture of the 20th century