Hello there! Back again with the weekly blog challenge. This week is all about our similarities and connections with our piers and other people in our lives, and relating to each other through our interests.

One of the options for this week’s activities was a book review. I love reading, so I thought this one would be great. I may do something else for this week as well because it’s such a fun week! I’ll link it here if I do!

A drawing I did of Phoebe and Holden from the following book I’m gonna be discussing! I used the Procreate app to draw them with an Apple Pencil and iPad, and then cut them out in Bazaart and stuck them on the book cover.

Comment your favourite book and why you like it down below!

The book that I’m going to talk about today is The Catcher in the Rye (if you’ve read it, you would have knows from the title of this blog post; my favourite quote from the book). I read this book last summer during my vacation to Vancouver Island, Canada. I knew that it was a cult classic and written during the 50’s, but not much else.

The book is narrated by the character Holden Caulfield, a rebellious troubled teenager who was previously attending a boarding school in Pennsylvania. The novel starts off with him being kicked out of this prestigious boarding school, which mirrors the end of his past attendance to several other schools. Instead of heading straight home, Holden decides to go on a small escapade throughout New York and explore the untamed world through his adolescent eyes.

This book resonated with so many and is a classic because it was written during a time where such topics that it touched on were considered taboo. Holden’s tale of teenage defiance and a look into his mind is told as if it’s a story written by Holden himself, which makes it even more intriguing. It seems to be very untamed, and things that would usually be thought and not said are voiced in this book, which didn’t occur too often back when it was written in the early 50’s. The novel also delved into Holden’s experiences in New York with subjects like alcoholism and profanity. These are more tangible aspects of the illicit topics in the book. This also resulted in it becoming one of the most commonly banned books during its time.

I truly enjoyed this book because Holden is a very unique and interesting character. I wouldn’t say that I would want to be his friend; it’s kind of weird, but I actually don’t like his personality much and I would disagree with him on many things. He believes that everyone is a phony and often has a negative view on situations. I don’t agree with how he sees the world most of the time. Despite this, Holden is still someone who goes through things that appear relatable to an audience of teenagers. J.D. Salinger, the author, writes in a way that can take a situation that is boring at first and turn it into something that sparks a story or a memory from Holden himself. This makes the book turn any circumstance into a thought-provoking look into Holden’s past, family, ideas and memories. 

This is a quote from the book that inspires the title. It signifies Holden wanting to help children refrain from losing their innocence; when they come through the rye he stops them from falling off the edge.

I also loved this book because Holden’s friends and family, especially his little sister Phoebe, are great characters. His and Phoebe’s bond is the only one in the book where he actually thinks positively about her. He really loves her, and none of this is left out of the story or feels like it’s not been elaborated on enough. You can tell that Holden has a hard life, as he’s a pessimist and has been kicked out of school multiple times. It’s also hinted at the beginning of the book that Holden is currently in a mental institution of some sorts and is writing or narrating the novel from there. Phoebe loves Holden too, and she definitely has a positive impact on him and his mood. Most every book has a special bond between certain characters; Phoebe and Holden are these characters. 

This pretty much sums up my thoughts and feelings about The Catcher in the Rye. A lot of people assume that books like these are boring and stupid because they are so popular and often assigned as required reading during high school. I read this on my own accord, and it’s become one of my favourite books. Never judge a book by its cover! 

Photo 2 and Photo 1 ;Background image for the drawing here.

All of these images were found under the setting “labeled for non commercial reuse” in Google!