Holden Caulfield joining AARP! Now there’s a thought.
The Catcher in the Rye was published on July 16, 1951. So the perennial 17-year-old, prep school dropout has hit his golden years. As another crop of high school students hits their summer reading list, J.D. Salinger’s tale of adolescent alienation is probably still at the top. And as a recent court case proves, its author J.D. Salinger is still very protective of his personal privacy and his most famous character. Salinger was able to prevent publication of an unauthorized sequel featuring the famous teen updated as a senior citizen.
Here is the New York Times report on the ruling in favor of J.D. Salinger: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/01/judge-rules-for-salinger-in-copyright-suit/?scp=2&sq=salinger%20suit&st=cse
While beloved by many, The Catcher in the Rye is not universally loved. While it consistently remains one of America’s most widely assigned books — it is also one of the most regularly censored books, according to the American Library Association. (According to the ALA, most books are “challenged” by parents, but not actually banned thanks to the efforts of librarians.)
Still crazy after all these years, Holden has been the bane of many students, an inspiration for others. What do you know about this staple of reading lists, and its quirky reclusive author, more than half a century after the book appeared? Try this quiz from Don’t Know Much About Anything. . .
1. Which famous museum makes Holden happy to think about as he wanders around New York?
2. Holden disliked “phonies,” for him almost everyone, except for which character in the book?
3. Why is The Catcher in the Rye banned in certain schools and libraries?
4. How many other novels did Salinger write?
5. What book topped the 2005 list of books most often challenged by parents?
Answers
1. The American Museum of Natural History. Here’s a link to one of Holden’s favorite things at the American Museum of Natural History: http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/expeditions/treasure_fossil/Treasures/Haida_Canoe/canoe.html?50
2. His “kid sister” Phoebe.
3. Some people have objected to its use of profanity, which is, by modern standards, pretty mild.
4. None. Catcher is his only novel; his other books are collections of short stories, most of which appeared in the New Yorker magazine.
5. According to the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris, for homosexuality, nudity, sex education, religious viewpoint, abortion and being unsuited to age group; Forever by Judy Blume, for sexual content and offensive language; and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger for sexual content, offensive language and being unsuited to age group. All three of these books, along with the Harry Potter series and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn were among the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books for the Years 1990 to 2000.
Here is the website of the ALA Freedom to Read Foundation: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/affiliates/relatedgroups/freedomtoreadfoundation/index.cfm
The National Coalition Against Censorship also fights censorship of all types: http://www.ncac.org/
And if you love the world of books and literature, watch for the forthcoming Don’t Know Much About Literature.
Coming July 28. Follow me on Twitter for a chance to win a free copy.
