Friday, March 30, 2012

PENGUIN #20 The Catcher in the Rye

Adopted by Bonnie Jeanne (PostMuse) in Pennsylvania
Bonnie Jeanne read The Catcher in the Rye for the first time in high school and unlike the rest of her classmates, she did not take a shining to it:                                         "I hated it. I hated the language. I hated the whining Holden.  I hated that everyone loved this book. I told the teacher that and he asked what I liked.  I told him The Scarlet Letter.  He made me debate the entire class on the merits of that over Rye. I was horrified."                          My goodness!! I would have been too!  And that would have made me hate it even more!  Later Bonnie Jeanne read the book again and enjoyed it.  I have read it, and only a couple years ago, but I confess that I don't remember very much of it.  It is tied up in my memory with The Floating Opera by John Barth (who comes from the little part of the world called the Eastern Shore of Maryland where I grew up), which has a similar feeling about it.

By the way, I find this book cover rather dissapointing.  Really Penguin? Just gray?

And here is the lovely stamp that PostMuse used:
How fitting to have another author on these book postcards.

4 comments:

  1. I hated that book too. I read it much later in life. I think they removed that from required high school reading long ago due to the heavily laden curse word count. Until the Post Muse, I don't think I will be re-reading the book any time soon!

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  2. I never had to read it thank goodness. But I am not sure why as my high school did require it. Somehow my teacher must have "forgotten" about it.

    Ms. Emilie, did you happen to get a letter opener in the mail? I sent one anonymously and wasn't sure if it arrived. =)

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  3. Dear Anonymous, YES!!!! I got it and that post will be coming up soon. I LOVE it!!! And I've used it a bunch! It works great!! I've sent someone a letter, because I think I mighhhhtt know who you are, but if you don't get a letter then, know how much I love it and THANK YOU!!!

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  4. I sure hope Catcher in the Rye hasn't been removed from reading lists! I don't think any book should ever be removed for any reason at all. Let the readers decide if the book has merit, and if they don't think it does, then let them reason why, albeit, perhaps in a private manner and not in front of peers, unless one is comfortable doing so.

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