The Catcher in the Rye

I read this book after one of my US History students told me he had read it and wanted somebody to talk about it with (huge teacher win!). Talking through Salinger's classic with a 16-year-old helped me frame my thinking from the correct perspective. Holden Caulfield may not be the most charismatic protagonist, but the further you get into his thinking, the more fascinating he becomes. Holden's narration is at its most intriguing when he makes seemingly casual references to traumatic episodes in his life. Even at the end of the novel when he has revealed so much, Holden still feels like a stranger, perhaps, as he continually suggests, even to himself.