The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye is a 1951 novel by J.D. Salinger. A controversial novel originally published for adults, it has since become popular with adolescent readers for its themes of teenage angst and alienation. It has been translated into almost all of the world’s major languages. Around 250,000 copies are sold each year with total sales of more than sixty-five million books. The novel’s protagonist, Holden Caulfield, has become an icon for teenage rebellion. The novel also deals with complex issues of innocence, identity, belonging, loss, and connection.

     The novel was included on TIME Magazine’s 2005 list of the 100 Best English-Language Novels written since 1923, and it was named by Modern Library and its readers as one of the 100 Best English-Language Novels of the Twentieth Century. In 2003 it was listed at No. 15 on the BBC’s survey The Big Read.