Kirsten+W

By J.D. Salinger
"People always clap for the wrong things..." -Holden Caufield

What others have said about this book: "An unusually brilliant first novel." The New York Times

"Engaging and believable..." Chicago Tribune

"A better more cynical writer than Salinger easily could write a book about a troubled yet appealing teenager, but its artifice and insecrity would be self-evident and readers would reject it as false." Anonymous from the Washington Post

"There are three true things to be said about J.D. Salinger's masterpiece: it is one of the great works of American Literature, it is one of the most frequently challenged by would-be-book-banners, and, therefore, it is one of the most misunderstood books of the 20th century." Anonymous from Common Sense Media More Quotes:

"People never notice anything..." -Holden Caufield

"Girls. You never know what they're going to think..." -Holden Caufield

Reasons for choosing quotes

Quote one: This quote describes how in general, people always praise others for the wrong reasons. Sometimes there are people who get awarded or praised for something they didn't even try at, and the people who did try are ignored. It doesn't always happen this way, but every once and a while it does. When this scenario does occur, it is sad to watch the person who deserved to be appraised have to clap for the person with the opposite attitude towards what ever they are being praised about.

Quote two: We all live our lives differently. Some people as they age, learn to be more observant, but then you have others who seem to notice less as they get older. For those people who become less-observant, J.D. Salinger is so right. Eventually they get to the point where they start to not notice anything or anyone around them. Their lives are just lived because they are forced to live it. Life shouldn't be that way. For this reason alone, we should have high expectations of ourselves and force ourselves to enjoy life and notice things each and every day we live our lives.

Quote three: It's comical to read a book from the point-of-view of someone from the opposite gender. Honestly, women are thinking the exact same thing men are constantly. There are billions of cases where opposite genders seem to not know what is going on in one another's head. I often think it's just boys, but then I read from the character's point-of-view in this book, and realize men are thinking the exact same thing women are thinking of them; what are they thinking? Finally, I have come to the realization that it is a mutual thought from both genders. media type="youtube" key="D2Jw7R3WFec?fs=1" height="385" width="640"

media type="youtube" key="elguV9wu-8s?fs=1" height="385" width="480" Video One: This video really gives a good description of what is happening in the book. They go into depth and explain detail by detail the information that is needed to comprehend the book, The Catcher in the Rye. They explain how Holden feels about everything around him and they also explain what is happening in his life. Video Two: This video gives you an idea of what each character is like. The summary from the first video explains what is happening in the book, but this goes more into the description of each person involved in Holden Caulfield's life, as well as his own life. The interviews give an idea of the feelings of their surroundings. 