I Read Banned Books: The Catcher in the Rye

Artwork courtesy of the American Library Association

This week is a very important week in the book community because it's Banned Books Week. Librians, educators, and book activists from all around the country and world spend the whole week teaching kids and adults about banned books, and the crazy reasons as to why they were banned or challenged in the first place.  

 

It's one of my favorite events of the year because I love reading and learning about everyone's experiences with banned and challenged books. I also enjoy getting to read all the new articles and essays on banned books and the events that are being held around the world. But mostly, I love celebrating the fact that I read banned books, and that I will never stop reading banned books because every book is a book worth reading.

This week, I'll be sharing a few of my favorite banned and challenged books with my readers. I hope you've been enjoying this mini-series of posts about some of my favorite banned books, and getting to know a different side of me.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Another day, another banned book to celebrate! Today's book is none other than the very famous novle, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. This great book wasn't assigned reading in my high school, but I know that students in other high schools read this every year. While I would have loved reading this book in high school, I'm glad that I was able to read it on my own and form my own opinions on it. Either way, I think it should be a book that all students read.

I remember feeling very sad when I read The Catcher in the Rye, but I didn't mind it. It was as if I were walking the streets of New York City with Holden Caulfield as he processed everything that was troubling him. Everything about how the book is narrated is just incredibly emotional, but in a stoic way. The book has its ups and downs, but I never felt like I was on an emotional roller coaster; it was more like being on an emotional train. I really felt like I was trapped between childhood and adulthood while spending time with Holden. I think that today's teenagers would be able to relate to his story and emotions, and I would tell anyone who hasn't read this beloved classic to grab a copy and start reading it. 

Why the Ban?

According to the American Library Association, The Catcher in the Rye was banned for a few different reasons. One of those reasons is the "offensive language" that is used during the novel. It was also banned because of the sexual content, and the novel was deemed inappropriate for its intended age group.