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The Catcher in the Rye is a novel by [|J. D. Salinger]. It was first published in 1951 in the United States. It has become one of the most important literary works of the 20th century American writing. It is now translated in a number of world languages and is included in high school curriculums worldwide. Around 250,000 copies are sold each year with total sales of more than 10 million. The novel was chosen by TIME magazine as one of the [|100 best English-language novels written from 1923] and to the present. After the novel was first published, it was banned. [|John Lennon's] assassin, Mark Chapman, asked the former Beatle to sign a copy of the book earlier in the morning of the day that he murdered Lennon. The police officer found the book in his possession upon apprehending the psychologically disturbed Chapman. This way the book became popular with criminals, who find the special meaning in this mysterious piece of writing. So what is the Catcher in the Rye is actually about? It is a story of an intelligent and sensitive 17-years-old boy, called Holden Caulfield, who is both the narrator and the main character of the book. It takes place in New York State in 1950’s.The book begins with the description of his academic failure, which indicates the mood of the whole novel, written in informal language using a lot of teen slang. The main idea of the writing is to show the way how Holden deals with his physiological problems which he has the whole bunch of due to his past. Through the whole book he is leading a battle with himself. He has a lot of friends and acquaintances, but all of them refuse to pay attention to his physiological drama. This way, D. J. Salinger forces the reader to think about the society’s attitude towards a person who is seeking for help. All he needed was a tiny bit of attention and care but nobody was ready to offer it to him. Originally we have responsibility for each other, not only for the relatives and friends we have, but for everyone, because we live at the same place and we live the same life. Not everyone is a professional psychologist, but all of us have the heart which can do amazing things if used the right way. We have no right to let people isolate themselves, the way Holden did. He was sick of his own emptiness, that’s why he kept calling everyone “phonies”. There is a lot more to this book, which cannot be described in the brief review. The novel has its own character. If I personally was to rate this amazing book in a range from 1 to 4, I would have a trouble choosing the appropriate one. It’s not a perfect piece of writing, it’s not written the way the novel should be, but it’s an incredible alive story which cannot be rated any lower than full 4 stars. If you’re ready for the serious reading and realizing some major humans’ concepts, you’re welcome to start the Catcher in the Rye, which if read the right way can impress the people’s minds by its deepness.