My next book to read on my quest to become Rory Gilmore by reading all the books she has was “Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger. (Yes, this is one of the books I should have read in high school, talk to the board of education, not me). I was weary of this book because of it’s association with John Lennon’s murder, the attempted assassination on President Reagan & its place as a book that unstable people obsess over (Mel Gibson’s character owning tons of copies in “conspiracy theory” for example). This assumption wasn’t helped any when I opened up the book from the library, and the pages were filled with nonsensical notations from at least 5 people. My favorite was in code, accented with hearts, & written in gold & blue glitter pen. Would Holden Caulfield write in glitter pen? Would he?

I don’t really understand the controversy of the book.  Yes it swears, it has the F word, but it is used in reference to Holden trying to get that particular word off the walls of his sister’s school to preserve her innocence. If it wasn’t for the notoriety of this book, it wouldn’t have stood out to me on the booklist as a disturbed book or an excellent book. Wikipedia says “Thirty years after its first publication in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye was both the most banned book in America as well as the second most taught book in public schools.” I think that the reason this book  has such a bad reputation is because we’ve made it so.  There’s nothing wrong with the book, there are just certain expectations of it, which is why 5 different people wrote in a library book.  They wanted to appear disturbed or deep & that’s what this book has come to represent. What are your thoughts on “Catcher in the Rye”  Is it deserving of all the controversory? If you want to join Rory’s Book Club, visit the official site in the sidebar, choose a book & get reading.

Tags: books, reading, j.d.-salinger, the-catcher-in-the-rye, tv, gilmore-girls, book-club, book-review