Catcher in the Rye by JD. Salinger →

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The Catcher in the Rye is a novel by J. D. Salinger initially intended for adults. Still, the book’s strong themes of alienation and its critique of the superficiality of society led to it being widely read by adolescents. The book was widely banned because of its language and focus on sex.

The book covers 16-year-old Holden’s last day at Pencey, a fashionable prep school, from which he has flunked out and been expelled, and the following two days, which he spends in hiding in New York City. Confused and disillusioned, he is obsessed with preserving his innocence: he wishes to be “the catcher in the rye” to protect the children from falling off the cliff. This wish is interpreted as a metaphor for entering adulthood which is probably suggested because, at the same time, part of him wants to connect with other people on an adult level in a sexual encounter. In contrast, part of him wants to reject the adult world as “phony” and retreat into his childhood memories.

The hero and heroine of this novel, Holden’s dead brother Allie and Jane Gallagher, never appear in it, but they are always in Holden’s consciousness, together with his sister Phoebe. Caulfield is depressed throughout the book, unable to concentrate, and lacks interest in everything. He appears to be both manic and psychotic.

Holden is crazy about Jane, always thinking of her, always wanting to call her up, but he never does. He is always about to but does not because he’s never “in the mood.”

The two days are full of events, and the literalness and innocence of Holden’s point of view in the face of the tremendously complicated and often depraved facts of life make for the humor of this novel.

Quotes from Catcher in the Rye

“What knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours, and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though.”

“Among other things, you'll find that you're not the first person who was ever confused, frightened, and even sickened by human behavior. You're by no means alone on that score; you’ll be excited and stimulated to know. Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now. Happily, some of them kept records of their troubles. You'll learn from them—if you want to. Just as someday, if you have something to offer, someone will learn something from you. It's a beautiful reciprocal arrangement. And it isn't education. It's history. It's poetry.”

“I'm quite illiterate, but I read a lot. ”

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, A Novel, by Hank Green

Hank Green’s first novel, AN ABSOLUTELY REMARKABLE THING, is itself remarkable. What seems at first to be a book pointed at a young internet obsessed generation turns out to be a close look at fame, where it leads and finding what is important.

Reading the Author’s Note section in the book, strategically placed as the last section of the book, will open your eyes to what the book is about. Is it better to read this last and find yourself saying “so that’s why he wrote it” or to read it first?  All I can say is I read it last.

In this section Hank Green starts out with his first sentence telling us: “Hi… I’m famous on the internet.” In the second paragraph he says: “But let’s go back to that first sentence again….Like, what does “famous” even mean, and how is “famous on the internet” any different.” This book story seems to answer these questions

April lives in Manhattan starting out just making podcasts on YouTube, just like Hank. She lives with her roommate, and perhaps girlfriend, Maya. Andy is another friend, Miranda is a scientist, and her assistant Robin are all under twenty-five and the core of April’s team.

On her way home from work late one night finds that a tall statue has appeared, hovering just over the ground, by the building where she lives. The figure looks like a person, but nothing will move it. She senses that it must be an alien from some other world and her first thought is to phone her friend Andy to come and film her introducing the alien that she has named Carl. See immediately sees herself as a first contact for this alien.

Hank told us in the Author’s Note section about the first time a stranger approached him in a grocery store having recognized him from the internet and how that made him feel but also how it led eventually to writing this book. April will soon have the same experience when she has Andy post the interview of her talking about Carl. April becomes famous.

Other Carl’s appear in major cities all over the world, but April was the first contact and she becomes the advocate of the Carl’s being here for good reasons and she is number one on the internet. She offers ideas about unlocking the mystery and has the world helping her find the password to something in a dream.

A professional hater, Peter Petrawicki, sees April’s internet success and by becoming the Anti-April he gains many followers and they push that the Carl’s are a threat, rather than potential friends. Peter’s success is from taking the opposite point of view for all that April believes in.

Green is clearly interested in how social media moves the needle on our culture, and he uses April’s fame, choices, and moral quandaries to reflect on the social fabric. The book and April leave little doubt about a sequel

Quotes

“The power that each of us has over complete strangers to make them feel terrible and and frightened and weak is amazing.” 

“Even on this most terrible days, even when the worst of us are all we can think of, I am proud to be a human.” 

“Basically, do your best to mock and deride their connection to and appreciation of you because, deep down, you dislike yourself enough that you cannot imagine anyone worthwhile actually wanting to be with you. I mean, if they like you, there must be something wrong with them, right?” 

“Just because you can't imagine something doesn't mean you can't do it.” 

Read Hank Green’s 2nd Book

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green