J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye Paperback – July 12, 2023

I especially like a book that can entertain me and from which I can learn new things. This does both. I found it to a very interesting read and learned a lot about the “behind the scenes” events / experiences that shaped The Catcher in the Rye. The book also managed to sneak in some very interesting and educational information about general history.

THIS IS NOT JD SALINGER’s BOOK!!! I’m pissed off that I purchased this piece of junk when I thought I was purchasing the original. Don’t get scammed. This was the only kindle option and I thought it was the original. Very VERY deceptive!

better second time around

"The Catcher in the Rye" is a hilarious tale of several days in the life of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen-year-old boy who was expelled from a prep school for failing to apply himself to school work. The title suggests Holden's desire to protect unsullied children from the phoniness of the adult world. He wants to catch children playing innocently in the field of rye from falling over the cliff into the phony adult world. The book has Holden repeatedly showing the struggles and confusions of children and their desire for friendship. The book was serialized in 1945 and 1946 and published as a novel in 1951. The story mentions sex and homosexuality. Holden does not engage in either. He is a virgin. But he yearns for sex and friendship. Many critics who praise the book see it as a critique of American society. I read the book twice, decades apart, when I was young and old, and I enjoyed both times.

I really would like to enjoy the book, but it has so many hateful nuances that stand out. He gives an obvious bias against certain racial, sexual, and religious groups. Not only that, but he begins to bash these groups and tries to provide some kind of evidence through fatuous “insights” of Salinger’s masterpiece.Also, the book cover is extremely misleading. I bought this book thinking it was the original Catcher in the Rye, but was thoroughly disappointed when i found out what it really was.I usually don’t express hate toward people’s hard work, but this book was extremely infuriating.

An excellent look at the way Catcher serves as a cipher for understanding middle class and upper middle class whites' attitudes towards cultural change. The book has a taught, three-part where each chapter mixes insights of how aspects Salinger's life affect the text, how those attitudes are reflected in potentially politically transformative surrogates who could have bridged conflicting groups and committed to real advocacy but instead chose instead to fall back into privileging systems they could have upset had they chosen. Benson's choices include people like Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, Vanilla Ice, and Bill Clinton, amongst others. In making this argument, Benson also provides a very readable account of the history of American privilege and systemic racism in the US post WWII. The third, most subtle thread, is a biography of the author himself, bookending his discussion and modeling the self awareness his subjects lack. A very necessary book for our political moment where, as Benson notes, we are all Holden Caufield online and Donald Trump is president of the United States.

I loved it.Although I was initially hesitant about diving into the critical analysis of a book that I had not read in many years, I found it to be immediately accessible and never felt lost. It was easy to take Holden Caulfield out of the mental garage, dust him off and get reacquainted.Staying true to its title as ‘a cultural history,’ the book provides thorough social and political context to the Catcher in the Rye’s controversy, popularity and long-lasting influence in America. I learned a lot of new things about 20th century U.S. history, pop-culture icons in various social movements, and of course, J.D. Salinger.It’s meaty, entertaining and at times, painfully relevant.

Just goes to show you to read the product description before purchasing an item. I wanted the actual book "The Catcher In The Rye" and what I got was someone else's summery of what they thought of the book. To be fair The author Josef Benson seems thoughtful and truthful in his experience with the book It's just not what I wanted or would have sought out in reading material.