I’m not completely sure how to rate this. I enjoyed it, but I can’t tell if it was just the themes and things we talked about in class, or if it was the actual book itself. Anyway, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. My parents generally dislike it, so I was fully prepared to suffer through it and hate it. But it actually wasn’t half bad! I felt some sympathy for Holden (red flag?) and his experiences. I am one of the people who doesn’t think it’s the most amazing book I’ve ever read, but not the worst either. The main reason why I felt sympathy for Holden was his mental health and his past. I also struggle with some mental health issues, so that part definitely helped me sympathize with him. The complaints I have about this books are that nothing actually happens, he’s sexist, and he’s homophobic. The Catcher in the Rye tackles some deep issues and weaves them into both metaphorical and straight to the point ways. There are some trigger warnings though, so if these things trigger you, you might not want to read it.

A couple notes about the TW: the sexual content is him talking about how some girls are attractive and how he’s never had sex before, grief plays a big role in the book, and sexual harassment is implied.