The Day x Connell Guides J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye

Since its first publication in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye has been reprinted hundreds of times, sparked passionate debate and even been blamed for several murders. During the late 1960s and early 1970s it was banned in American schools more than any other book. Why? What is it that makes this short novel so controversial – and so special? The biographer and literary critic Ian Hamilton says that reading it taught him that “literature can speak for you, not just to you”. He is one of many who consider Holden Caulfield to be the voice of a generation. In this short guide Luke Neima examines Salinger’s masterpiece and looks at what the critics have said about it over the years.