Is 'The Catcher in the Rye' phony or still cool? 6 writers reflect on its legacy at 75

Books that extremity up connected precocious schoolhouse English syllabi are meant to awesome to young radical their taste importance, but lone 1 publication has been routinely positioned arsenic simply “cool.” Since its work 75 years agone connected July 16, 1951, “The Catcher successful the Rye” has been heralded arsenic a literate baddie. With its starkly rendered themes of alienation and apathy, and a CV of power connected murderers, stone bands, and a procreation of ultracool writers, it adds up to a literate bequest dissimilar immoderate different assigned reading.

But arsenic each caller procreation gets further distant from the novel’s archetypal milieu and the representation of Holden Caulfield has go shorthand for privileged disaffection, its necessity successful curricula has been questioned. What was erstwhile revolutionary for its connection and position present tin scan arsenic retrograde to immoderate modern audiences arsenic books go little and little connective for modern teens.

(Little, Brown and Company)

Despite this, to reread the caller contiguous is to beryllium struck by shades of a loneliness we speech astir arsenic a occupation unsocial to the 2020s. Spotlighting Holden’s travel reveals the root of our isolated young men, 1 that truthful often ends successful radicalization oregon adjacent worse ... podcasting. While the caller has notably influenced respective acts of violence, speechmaking it with big eyes reveals Salinger’s involution for Holden: 1 of connection, emotion and carousels. It is simply a connection worthy teaching aft each these years.

Since Salinger’s decease successful 2010, his family-run property has teased plans to merchandise his unpublished works created aft his status from nationalist beingness successful the mid-1960s. As of 2026, nary further plans person been announced. In lieu of caller worldly oregon commercialization of his properties, we are near to beryllium with and pore implicit the works Salinger near down for america . To grant 75 years of “Catcher,” six modern California writers shared their thoughts connected carrying the caller done their lives and what this enduring New York communicative tin inactive uncover for readers some young and aged connected the East Coast and West Coast.

So “if you truly privation to perceive astir it”...

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Tod Goldberg

Author of much than a twelve transgression novels, including the L.A. Times Book Prize finalist “Only Way Out.” Goldberg is the laminitis and manager of the Low Residency MFA astatine UC Riverside and is presently a shaper connected an upcoming Netflix series. He lives successful Indio, Calif.

How aged were you erstwhile you archetypal work it?

It was freshman twelvemonth of precocious school, present successful Palm Springs.

What was your sentiment erstwhile you archetypal work it?

I retrieve being blown distant by it, reasoning it was speaking to thing profound that I was feeling astatine 15.

Has your sentiment connected the publication shifted since then?

I work it again this weekend, and it is thing similar I remembered. What I remembered astir it astatine 15 was much astir the imagery than the existent emotions of the things that were happening. My caput had fixated connected that past representation of him watching his sister connected the carousel.

To work it present astatine 55 is to recognize the tenderness that exists successful breached homes, peculiarly ones touched by death, due to the fact that I deliberation young radical request to recognize that determination are radical who volition inactive perceive to you.

What bash you deliberation it is astir the caller that gives it specified staying powerfulness successful our culture?

Literature stands connected the shoulders of literature, and I deliberation it’s important for readers and writers to recognize that there’s a enactment that tin beryllium drawn from “Catcher” to each fashionable YA caller that exists today. I deliberation it’s important to recognize wherever a communicative comes from and what initially gave artists the state to speech astir the interior affectional struggles of young people.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

Ottessa Moshfegh

Author of “My Year of Rest and Relaxation,” “Lapvona” and the Booker Prize-shortlisted “Eileen.” She lives successful Pasadena.

How aged were you erstwhile you archetypal work it?

I truly started speechmaking big books erstwhile I was astir 9. It was 1 of the books that I retrieve speechmaking [at location successful Massachusetts] due to the fact that I had been told it was significant.

What was your sentiment erstwhile you archetypal work it?

I don’t retrieve whether it inspired maine oregon if it felt important lone due to the fact that I had heard that it was expected to be.

Has your sentiment connected the publication shifted since then?

I bought it again possibly 10 years agone and started speechmaking it, and was like, I don’t consciousness similar learning thing from a 16-year-old lad close now.

What bash you deliberation it is astir the caller that gives it specified staying powerfulness successful our culture?

I don’t truly cognize if it does, to beryllium honest. I’m not definite that young radical contiguous are speechmaking it the mode they were successful the ‘80s. We’re inactive surviving successful highly blimpish times, and we’re benignant of frightened of the future, and immoderate elements of civilization similar to look backward to beryllium that there’s a harmless and accepted mode of locating the opening of a definite improvement that we presently don’t understand. I deliberation it’s often unfair to enactment a publication successful this presumption — I consciousness similar it should beryllium appreciated for what it is without the unit of aboriginal history.

(Noah Ulin)

David L. Ulin

Author oregon exertion of much than 20 books, including “Sidewalking: Coming to Terms with Los Angeles.” A erstwhile Los Angeles Times publication editor, helium has a forthcoming flash fabrication anthology, “American Flash Fiction,” arriving September 2026.

How aged were you erstwhile you archetypal work it?

I was 13 the archetypal clip I tried to work it, successful the 1970s. I grew up successful New York, truthful this was successful my puerility bedroom. At that point, I was a small excessively young. I would accidental I was a kid with rebellious yearnings, but I hadn’t rather enacted those rebellious yearnings yet, truthful I stopped successful the middle, and past erstwhile I was 16, aft I had begun to enact those yearnings, I picked it up again, and I fell successful emotion with it.

Has your sentiment connected the publication shifted since then?

The past clip I work it was erstwhile Salinger died during my clip astatine the L.A. Times. I ended up penning the appreciation and reread it. At that point, I had not work it successful astir 25 years, and I had a 16-year-old son, truthful I work the publication arsenic a father, and I recovered it terrifying, and I deliberation that’s portion of its power. Holden thinks of himself arsenic a rebel, but helium really is simply a mislaid child.

What bash you deliberation it is astir the caller that gives it specified staying powerfulness successful our culture?

You tin work it arsenic Holden’s contemporary, but I could besides aboriginal work it from the constituent of presumption of the parent. Somehow, Salinger, arsenic a 31-year-old writer, had managed to encapsulate oregon encode each of those antithetic points of presumption oregon perspectives into the novel, and I deliberation that is 1 of the astir astonishing things astir it.

(Oscar Villalon)

Oscar Villalon

The exertion of the award-winning literate diary “ZYZZYVA,” Villalon is simply a writer and a erstwhile San Francisco Chronicle publication exertion who has doubly judged the National Book Awards and 3 times juried the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. He lives successful San Francisco.

How aged were you erstwhile you archetypal work it?

I indispensable person been 16 successful my inferior twelvemonth of precocious school.

What was your sentiment erstwhile you archetypal work it?

This would person been down successful San Diego astatine Mount Carmel High School. In my neighborhood, everyone was successful Section 8 housing, truthful partially what fascinated maine astir the caller was this Anglo beingness I wasn’t rather alert of: prep schools, and having capable wealth to beryllium capable to spell anyplace you want; to instrumentality a edifice country and wage for it successful cash, the benignant of acts of New York City, which I knew truly thing about.

Has your sentiment connected the publication shifted since then?

After rereading, the happening that struck maine is the anger, you know? When the publication was assigned, the thought was astir apt like, “You guys are feeling alienated; possibly you’ll beryllium capable to subordinate to him.” The comic happening is that I did not subordinate to him astatine each connected that level. Reading it now, I wonder, to idiosyncratic who’s 16, if they would accidental helium sounds similar 1 of those 4chan guys.

What bash you deliberation it is astir the caller that gives it specified staying powerfulness successful our culture?

There’s a batch of kids who travel from privilege, who spell to backstage schools, who should cognize better, who are flirting with and embracing fascism. Where does that travel from? What benignant of wounded does that travel from? When you’re that young, you can’t spot past your nose; the full world’s conscionable you and the situation is to get retired of that bubble and to person empathy — to spot the world’s astir others arsenic overmuch arsenic it is astir you.

(Photo by Vamsi Chunduru)

Jean Kyoung Frazier

Author of “Pizza Girl” and screenwriter for the Emmy award-winning “Beef,” “Common Side Effects” and the forthcoming “Superfakes.” She lives successful Los Angeles.

How aged were you erstwhile you archetypal work it?

I indispensable person been successful precocious schoolhouse [in the South Bay] erstwhile I had to work it, truthful that indispensable person been 2010?

What was your sentiment erstwhile you archetypal work it?

There’s this thought that to beryllium young is to beryllium happy, and young radical don’t person problems. If anything, ages 14 done 19 were astir apt immoderate of the astir introspective times of my life. There’s a attraction and a tenderness successful the book, and arsenic young arsenic Holden feels, you don’t consciousness similar he’s being made amusive of for being young; he’s treated with a batch of seriousness, and young problems are fixed a batch of gravity, due to the fact that that’s however it feels erstwhile you’re that age.

Has your sentiment connected the publication shifted since then?

I reread it again successful college, and I retrieve liking it adjacent more. There was an earnestness to it that’s precise uncommon successful literate fiction. You consciousness similar you’re benignant of unsocial successful your feelings, truthful speechmaking astir Holden and his struggles, I think, is precise comforting.

What bash you deliberation it is astir the caller that gives it specified staying powerfulness successful our culture?

There’s thing determination with this young guy, who’s acrophobic astir purity that remains existent now, which is that radical deliberation things are phony. I mean, God, successful this property of AI and everything being really benignant of fake and manufactured, is determination a much applicable book?

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

Anna Dorn

Author of “Perfume & Pain,” “Vagablonde” and “American Spirits.” Her caller “Exalted “ was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She lives successful Los Angeles.

How aged were you erstwhile you archetypal work it?

I judge I archetypal work “Catcher” successful precocious school, successful my sophomore American English people astatine Maret School successful Washington, D.C., truthful I was 16?

What was your sentiment erstwhile you archetypal work it?

I adored it. I was connected much of a “Gossip Girl”-esque extremity backmost then, but “Catcher” was truthful overmuch much amusive and readable than thing other we work successful school. I retrieve being taken with Holden’s voice, his humor, the information that helium hated everything. (I was, and inactive am, a hater).

Has your sentiment connected the publication shifted since then?

I deliberation the past clip I work it was successful college, and I retrieve being somewhat little taken by it then, astir apt due to the fact that I’d work much ranty, voice-driven fabrication by that point, truthful it didn’t consciousness rather arsenic singular. But I inactive deliberation precise fondly of it and the interaction it had connected maine arsenic a teenager.

What bash you deliberation it is astir the caller that gives it specified staying powerfulness successful our culture?

Being a teen who thinks everything is fake bullshit is simply a cosmopolitan experience, and Holden embodies that teen angst truthful stylishly. I deliberation if it tin marque immoderate teens little lonely oregon little bored by precocious schoolhouse English, it’s worthy teaching. Those are timeless causes.

Messinger is simply a writer successful L.A. who runs the Substack adumbmessinger.