Holden B. Jones

So, I'm sure J.D. Salinger did not mean for this to be a funny book, but thanks to Barbara Park and her Junie B. Jones series, I thought it was hilarious. Ok, maybe that is a bit much, but I did laugh out loud a few times. I don't know if Barbara Park based Junie B.'s thoughts and writing on Holden's, but they are remarkably similar! (Junie B. does have much more appropriate language however, so don't worry if you're 5 year old is out there reading her books! - they're fun reads.)


Ok, that being said, I read this because I wanted to see what all the buzz is about. It's a classic, the guy that killed John Lennon and the guy that attempted to kill Ronald Reagan were obsessed with it (and many others, evidently), JD Salinger went into hiding after writing it, it's one of the top banned books the U.S., & I figured that if my kids were asked to read it one day, I should know what it's all about! It was never required reading for me, but I think I somehow my grade skipped A LOT of required reading; but like Holden, I digress.


After reading, I'm still not quite sure what the buzz is about. I didn't think it was an amazing classic book, I didn't think it was eye opening or life changing in any way, shape or form. The language did bug me, as it was every other word! The all-encompassing depression that Holden feels is somewhat overwhelming (I didn't think so at first, but the more I thought about it - I could see how someone could become attached to this book with similar depressed thoughts, like a friend who will agree with your ideas no matter how messed up they are!)

This poor kid is growing up and fighting it every bit of the way! He hates everything about "grown-ups", thinking they're fake, sell-outs or just annoying... and he's becoming it! He often says how much he hates movies and everything about them, but he often goes and talks about them frequently. He doesn't want to grow up, but he's trying to force himself through drinking, smoking, sex and such. He wants a "catcher in the rye" to help him, but everywhere he goes to find help his back is told he needs to straighten up and not be a "screw up". He either finds a way to leave or they leave him stranded.

I think we all have a bit of "Holden" in us when we "grow-up," but I think this is an extreme case. It was an interesting read, but not a favorite.