Have you read Catcher in the Rye?

[djheater]

I've read everything Salinger published. /literature geek.

There are a lot of people who intensely dislike Salinger, I personally think he's one of America's definitive authors.

Needless to say I loved Catcher, but I don't think it should be required HS reading, I think they'd do better introducing kids to Salinger through Nine Stories (For Esme with Love and Squalor, to our British Friends). It's like forcing kids to read Romeo and Juliet when they'd much rather read Hamlet.

 

[Umberger]

Originally posted by: DainBramaged
Early emo material.

agreed, Holden was a whiny little biotch. if people enjoyed reading it, then that is fine, because that is what books are for -- entertainment. Personally, I thought it was a waste of the paper it was written on.

 

[thirtythree]

Originally posted by: djheater
I've read everything Salinger published. /literature geek.

Everything as in his four major publications or everything?

 

[fitzov]

The main character categorized everyone as a phony except his sister, if I'm not mistaken. Tough life to lead.

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: zanieladie

Originally posted by: DaiShan

Originally posted by: zanieladie

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: TheChort

Originally posted by: zanieladie

Originally posted by: monk3y
I read it a LONG time ago. I know I liked it then but I really don't remember much about it at all.

I think it got banned in my area since I was in school.

i think you should write a letter to your school district telling them this isn't the 50's anymore :roll:

Yeah, omg that is ridiculous. Where do you live?

I am in Maryland and I haven't any idea why it got banned. While I don't recall much about it, I do recall that I liked it. Heck, when I was in HS, we read Voltaire's Candide (which was quite risque).

Funny thing is, the school's still include To Kill a Mockingbird in their curricumlum and that has racist themes in it.

So in answer to your question, I don't know why it was banned. Too weird. I never bothered investigating because there are so many OTHER books that my kids have been required to read.

HA you read candide, but they banned catcher in the rye? LOL

No...what I said was that *I* read Catcher in the Rye, Candide, To Kill a Mockingbird, and a long list of other books as required reading.

To my knowledge, Catcher in the Rye was banned. My guess is that Candide was too...but who knows? My oldest son (who graduates this year) didn't read Catcher in the Rye or Candide. My middle son (who has just started HS) had to read To Kill a Mockingbird this year.

the only one of those three i had to read was to kill a mockingbirg. candide i read on my own. never catcher in the rye.

i dont recall most of what i had to read in high school, the only other book i remember was the scarlett letter. meh to that one. i read 3 chapters, and said fvck it. it was so boring i didnt even care if i failed the tests on it. to kill a mockingbird wasnt much better, in my opinion. i dont remember much from either of them.

 

[RaistlinZ]

I read it in high school. It was alright. I remember my teacher trying to use the book to convey something about Existentialism, or some crap.

It's still not even close to being in the top 100 books I've ever read. A Wrinkle in Time > Catcher in the Rye

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: thirtythree

Originally posted by: djheater
I've read everything Salinger published. /literature geek.

Everything as in his four major publications or everything?

Well... Everything except the Princeton stories .. I have thought of visiting though.

 

[JonnyStarks]

I read it after highschool, and I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it then.

The writing style bugged me the repetitiveness got on my nerves. The book had its moments at the beginning but I never really knew where the story was going and found it really slow.

 

[LtPage1]

Decent, fun book that's WAY overhyped. Because high school kids have never read anything they could remotely relate to before, or that was even fun to read (of course, excepting those kids who either had literary parents or somehow managed to realize that books really don't suck, despite how they're presented and taught in school), they're blown away by it.

 

[imthebadguy]

utter crap

 

[SampSon]

Great book, though is vastly overrated.