Salinger, Jerome David - The young Holden

The Young Holden: review

The young holden is an appealing novel written by Jerome David Salinger in 1951. As you can see it is an old book but it deals with a theme that is still relevant today, which concerns young people.

The plot of the story is very easy to follow and understand: Holden Caulfield is a 16 year old who had been kicked out of one the most prestigious schools just before the Christmas break. He has had some past experience in being expelled. His character is described as a confused, stressed, troubled teenager, which I believe is the representation of teenagers in general. Holden comes from a rich family and faces many difficulties in his journey throughout the book. The story starts with him being unhappy and upset about everything and everyone around him. After being expelled from school, he decides not to go home and instead wanders around New York City all alone. During his time alone he experiences depression, he also faces severe alcoholism, deals with constant cigarette smoking and numerous mental breakdowns.

In my opinion this book can be really suitable for teenagers since it shows how bad your life can go if you escape from your responsibilities. abandoning school and his family Holden has only ruined his life. Furthermore I liked the fact that the story is written in the first person which makes the book more realistic and it is done in a way that the reader is captivated.

Concluding, I think this book is good for teenagers because it is a simple story but it is very thought-provoking because its realism is perfect for the young reader to identify himself in the protagonist. And in this way the reader can give greater value to his future life decisions.