Teens Monthly Book Club discussion

This month's read will be A Catcher In The Rye! It was a tie between this and Circe, but as this is more popular, it may be easier for people to get copies! I hope you enjoy this read, guys :)

I always enjoy reading classics so hopefully this one is worth the read. I put a hold on the audiobook, and will be starting as soon as it's available

Great!! I’m starting the book tonight hopefully, and I’m very excited as my dad gifted me this copy :)

My library says the hold will take 18 weeks so hopefully I can find a free pdf or something. I tried to read it before so maybe I’ll enjoy it this time

For anyone who needs a free copy; https://www.uzickagimnazija.edu.rs/fi...

Thank you so much! I’ll get started reading soon

Awesome!! I've just started, and so far it seems to be a mix of The Outsiders + The Perks Of Being A Wallflower! I'm enjoying it, and I think it's set late 40's as that was when the author was a teen? I'll have to check though.

Ok, so I'm half way through, and I'm really liking it! The main character, Holden Caulfield. is so so so- cool? I can definitely describe him better that that, but "cool" just seems to sum him up. I can't wait for u guys to read it!

my opinions, with slight spoilers (they won't ruin the book for u, but they may impact your opinion on some characters) -> (view spoiler)[I've finished!! I really loved it, but I'm stuck with a lot of mixed opinions. There's a lot of controversy about this book because some people see Holden as very egocentric and/or see his mental illness as a negative thing. However, I agree with the other side of the argument, that he's just a struggling, lonely teenager who's trauma has led him to feel isolated and he obviously lacks the attention he needs. In conclusion, u guys should definitely read it!! (hide spoiler)]

I’m sorry it’s taken so long for me to start it I’m a terribly slow reader, but I’m finally going to. I’m excited to reread because I remember not liking it, but maybe my tastes have changed since then.

I’m so excited for u to read it !! I loved the book so I’m interested to see other’s opinions on it :)

I don’t know why I hated Holden so much?? I’m only like 30 pages in and I really, really like him now. Even though nothing has really happened yet I still find his little interactions with the guys in his dorm so interesting

Yeah !! Later on, he does become a little more unlikable but I do think he’s an amazing character.

Maybe I missed something because I read through the second half so fast but I don’t understand this book at all? Like I love Holden and Phoebe and Ackley and everyone else but I think I missed the point with the ending. It was an okay book. Not the best, but not terrible as I initially thought when I first read it.

Yeah I think it’s quite a character development focused book, so doesn’t actually have much of a plot ! Also I don’t understand how you like Ackley, he’s so annoying !!

I don’t understand how Holden developed much either. Maybe I really am just missing these things but I thought he just stayed pretty static throughout the book. I don’t know why I like Ackley. He just seems decent yknow

Yeah !! I just think he really contributed to the fact that Holden was feeling isolated and needed to get out of school, so I don’t think I can find him a good character because of that.

Maybe so but once Holden got out, I think I remember reading that he was missing the guys at his dorm, even if they were kind of annoying. I wish the book was longer because it spent a long time discussing the guys in the dorm but kind of leaves their part of the story unresolved, if that makes sense.

Yeah that makes sense !!

The copy I put on hold is finally available! I’ll start reading it today

Yay, I'm excited for u to read it :)

I finally finished reading it! I gave the book two stars, I wasn't a big fan of Holden and I was getting annoyed at how he would call almost everyone lousy and that some aspect of them he pitied or was depressing

He is kind of a hypocrite in that regard, yeah. He calls literally everyone a phony/lousy/cheesy while he is,, kind of a “phony” himself. I also thought it was kind of realistic, since a lot of teens with a similar personality to Holden’s see the world that way?

That's true, I didn't think about it in that way. I wish there could have been more character development for Holden, since I felt none of the experiences he went throughout the novel changed him in the slightest.