O Apanhador no Campo de Centeio (1951)

This book well deserves its reputation as a 20th century American classic. I compare this to some other classics, such as Flowers for Algernon and One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, the subject matter is not really happy or light. This is the story of a long weekend in the life of a young man who is self-destructive, for multiple reasons that you need to determine by reading the book, it isn't just spelled out for you and handed to you in chapter 1. The main character isn't a welcoming or pleasant person, but that's the whole point.
i would imagine for its time (1951) this book was radical, as this wasn't a subject that got a lot of discussion and still doesn't. While there may be newer books that cover the same subject that may be more attractive to 21st century readers, this is still well worth reading, especially for young people. ( )

Wanted to love it and kept waiting to like Holden, but just didn't. ( )

4 stars

I found the main character of J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Holden, relatable without much difficulty. The book is a story about a day in the life of a 16-year-old guy, who cusses a lot and makes even more questionable choices, but does so without coming off as stupid, instead just quite directionless and lost. Holden Caulfield is not a bad guy in a sense of the word, he is afflicted by a malaise that most of come in contact with at least in passing – he is unsure, anxious and often depressed, he can’t seem to fit in.
I recommend that you read it if you often feel similar to Holden and you would like to have someone to relate to. ( )

I read this multiple times in my teens/early 20s and thought it was amazing.
Tried reading it again at 31 and I can't be arsed with it.
Huh, seems my taste in books has changed.
it can have 3stars, but it should really get a 5star review AND a 2star review, at the same time. ( )

I thought I might have read this in school, but it must have been the other class. I might have liked it better back then.

Around the year in 52 books challenge notes:
#46. A book about an event or era in history taken from the Billy Joel song "We Didn't Start the Fire" ( )