The Cather In The Rye

Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1951

Annotation: After the death of his brother, young Holden Caulfield, disillusioned and unmotivated, struggles to find understanding and knowledge in the wake of this life-changing event.

Justification for Nomination: With dialogue including one of Holden Caulfield's opening lines, "I'm not going to tell you my whole goddam autobiography or anything," this novel by J.D. Salinger exemplifies the voice of a young adult, bitter with life and dealing as best he can. This coming of age story not only takes the reader into the mind of this character, showing exactly how he feels and what he thinks along the way, but also delivers other characters just as rich and full as the main character himself. As Holden struggles with the death of his beloved brother, the resulting ennui and lack of motivation in school is something that many teens will be able to relate to. Having been expelled from yet another school, Holden's journey from that point is full of angst and anger. This book contains the universal theme that all teenagers will have that moment in their lives that will change everything dramatically, and the struggle to deal with that moment will surely strip away some of that childhood innocence that will never be restored.

Salinger takes us into the heart and mind of Holden, so that we witness first-hand his pain, grief and hopeful attempts to regain himself. The wide range of character ages in the book also will appeal to a broader range of readers, and the realness of the characterizations will be easy for any young reader to relate to. The richness of the characters is accompanied by the fullness of the settings and how they seem to relate to Holden's overall mood throughout the book; from cold and frosty to dismal and rainy. This certainly enhances the story's tone and adds to the style of the story. And I believe many young readers will be able to relate to having something affect you in such a way that you start to do poorly in school.

The experiences that Holden has during this search for understanding are all very interesting ones that will hold a young reader's attention as they marvel at the nerve he seems to have in taking on these things. This is a hero that is truly fascinating and interesting. The reader will enjoy this trek for understanding with Holden and I believe his thoughts and fears will resound with a wide group of readers. Does Holden get back on track? Will his disturbing behavior continue? Has he learned anything from his mentor? I believe any young adult will benefit from having read this work, which includes realistic and full characters, pitch-perfect dialogue, great scenes and settings and a story that will leave many readers with lots to think about.

Genre: Coming of Age