The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger and published in 1951, follows sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield, who has just been expelled from Pencey Prep boarding school. Wandering through New York City for several days before returning home, Holden encounters various people—taxi drivers, nuns, an old girlfriend, and strangers—while growing increasingly disillusioned with the "phoniness" of the adult world. Haunted by the death of his younger brother Allie, Holden dreams of becoming "the catcher in the rye," saving children from falling off a cliff into adulthood. Narrated from a rest facility, this classic coming-of-age novel explores alienation, innocence, and the painful transition from adolescence to maturity.
