I am beginning this blog on my 69th birthday and am considering it part of another 365 project, taking a photo a day from now until my 70th birthday to show things that were special, or that had meaning, or caught my eye...or are just fillers...for each day of my 70th year. Here goes....
Thursday, February 23, 2012
2/23/2012
Today I decided to read "Catcher in the Rye" for the first time.
My Review: Yes, everybody reads this book in high school...unless you went to a Catholic girls' high school. I can't imagine any of my teachers discussing this story of Holden Caulfield in class. At one point I decided that if Ferris Buller had been suffering from depression, this is the kind of week off he might have had (Ferris only had a day, Holden had a week). Themes of teen age angst, alienation, isolation, confusion, depression. I haven't read any of the cliff notes or voluminous discussions about this book, but what was very clear to me was that Holden, the privileged of wealthy yet uninvolved parents never resolved his grief following his beloved brother's death. It's no wonder he has abandonment issues. We watch his continuing downhill slide, involving flunking out of school, being on his own in his hometown (New York), drinking in bars that will serve underage drinkers, hiring a prostitute, alienating most of the people he comes in contact with...and ending up in the mental hospital where he is dictating his story.
I'm glad I read it. It was totally not like anything that I had thought it would be. I'm not sure this is a book you "enjoy," but it definitely makes an impact
And what did you think?
ReplyDeleteMy Review: Yes, everybody reads this book in high school...unless you went to a Catholic girls' high school. I can't imagine any of my teachers discussing this story of Holden Caulfield in class. At one point I decided that if Ferris Buller had been suffering from depression, this is the kind of week off he might have had (Ferris only had a day, Holden had a week). Themes of teen age angst, alienation, isolation, confusion, depression. I haven't read any of the cliff notes or voluminous discussions about this book, but what was very clear to me was that Holden, the privileged of wealthy yet uninvolved parents never resolved his grief following his beloved brother's death. It's no wonder he has abandonment issues. We watch his continuing downhill slide, involving flunking out of school, being on his own in his hometown (New York), drinking in bars that will serve underage drinkers, hiring a prostitute, alienating most of the people he comes in contact with...and ending up in the mental hospital where he is dictating his story.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I read it. It was totally not like anything that I had thought it would be. I'm not sure this is a book you "enjoy," but it definitely makes an impact