It makes sense that this book is mostly assigned as high school reading. I can see myself identifying with Holden's feelings of teenage angst as a teen, but his story didn't really have the same effect on me as an adult. Holden is oblivious to his hypocritical behavior, believes he is the only authentic human (aside from his sister and little brother) in a city full of "phonies," and overuses the term "killing me" to express mild amusement or annoyance. All pretty typical for an angsty teen! As an adult reader, however, I found it all a little irritating. Also, nothing really happens in this book, which I know is fairly standard for coming-of-age stories but left me a bit bored. I do like knowing that teenage emotions and thought processes haven't changed much, though! And, Holden did tug at my heartstrings in the end when he misinterprets Robert Burns's poem to conclude that he would like to be a catcher in the rye.