The Catcher in the Rye
Author: J.D. SalingerFirst published in: 1951
Slader Book Club Says:
We're still reading this book. Maybe we'll like it, maybe we won't, but rest assured, we'll have something to say.
Because they don’t make authors like J.D. Salinger anymore.
Salinger valued his privacy. After The Catcher in The Rye, he only published a handful more works, the last coming in 1965, even though he continued writing until his death in 2010. He soon completely disappeared from the public eye, refusing interviews and requests to turn his most-famed novel into a play or a movie, leaving fans of his work to try to tie the threads of his life to those of his protagonist, Holden Caulfield.
Why all the fuss? Remember, The Catcher in The Rye was a 1950’s bombshell. Swearing, sexual language, open talk of suicide: Is it any wonder the book has landed on many a banned book list over the years? Still, despite all the controversy, Salinger never took to seeking out book tours and talk shows. Instead, he was content to do the rarest of all things for an artist these days: He let his work do the talking.