Excerpts Here is the opening of J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye,” narrated by Holden Caulfield, a tormented prep-school flunk-out who is headed for mental collapse.

When I first read The Catcher in the Rye, like the vast majority of my 11th grade peers, I hated Holden Caulfield. Apparently, hating Holden Caulfield is one of the markers of a Millennial reader.

If you’re a bit late to this Salinger classic, let me fill you in — Holden Caulfield is a recently-expelled 16-year-old prep school student, and “The Catcher in the Rye” is his first-person retelling ...

Holden Caulfield, the novel's protagonist, envisions himself as the "catcher" who stands in a field of rye and catches children who are about to fall off a cliff.

What really knocked readers out about “The Catcher in the Rye” was the wonderfully immediate voice that J. D. Salinger fashioned for Holden Caulfield a voice that enabled him to channel an ...

The title of the book, "The Catcher in the Rye," connects to the first line by reflecting Holden's desire to protect the innocence of childhood. It’s funny. Don’t ever tell anybody anything.

She opines that a sequel to Catcher in the Rye written by Salinger would command an advance of at least $5,000,000. It would seem that the "complete history of the Caulfield family" would qualify ...

Holden Caulfield, the misunderstood anti-hero of “The Catcher in the Rye,” and unintentional spiritual guide for stalkers and assassins, fantasized about being deaf and mute and living in a ...