The Catcher in the Rye Digested

     So... I finished reading the YA classic by J.D. Salinger last week. I thought after a week of contemplation I might be able to find some merit to the novel. I must say nothing has changed from my original impression. Holden Caulfield is whiny and like many other reviewers I find him extremely hard to like.                                                                                                

     The language is completely recycled with the words goddamn and phony appearing hundreds of times. You know when you play a video game so much that you dream you are in it? Well that's happened to me and I feel that the words goddamn and phony were in my dreams from that goddamn book with all those phony characters.

     I also found that Holden reacted the same way to most people. His response to most people is that they were unlikeable because they were phony. The only two people that were alive that he seemed to have a different response too were Old Phoebe and his Ex. It's sad that he has such a negative outlook on life. Perhaps, that is why I disliked the book so much.

      Also, did anyone reach the end of the book and think... "So that's it?, So what?!?" I think I missed something maybe I will reread it sometime... or go through Chinese water torture. You know whatever is more appealing.

Oh yeah and Lily-Katt gives this book five claws right through the front cover for being ridiculously emo.

REVIEW: Fishtailing

Phillips, Wendy. Fishtailing. Coteau Books, 2010.
Pages [196p.] Price [$14.95.] ISBN[978-1-55050-411-8].

         

       This winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award follows the experiences of four teens- Natalie, Tricia, Kyle and Miguel written in their own free verse.  Natalie is a newcomer to Tricia, Kyle and Miguel’s high school with a notorious record for trouble.  She attracts the attention and curiosity of Tricia leading to what appears to be friendship.                                                                

         Both Natalie and Miguel have seriously disturbing histories that are revealed throughout their poetry.  They have both been damaged by their own tragedies and become entangled.  Similarly, Tricia catches Kyle’s attention. All four of the teens struggle with their own unique set of issues.                                                                    

        The use of free verse is effective as it reveals characters internal emotion and intention.  A warning to the faint of heart, Phillips does not gloss over serious teenage issues but delves into them.  Two words that best describe this four-part piece are: real and raw.  The work is aptly named Fishtailing as the characters become dangerously reckless throughout the novel.  I would recommend this book to ages 14 and up based on content that deals with “mature subject matter”. 

Lily-Katt gives it Five Claws out of Five for a gripping and emotional portrayal of teenage experience through verse.

Thoughts on the Teen Section at a Popular Bookstore

     The last time I went to the bookstore with the purpose of visiting the young adult section (often labelled the teen section) was much too long ago.  I remember not being able to drive as my visits were also with mom.  Also,  I don't ever remember buying a book myself.  The books I chose every time (after much contemplation) were from the same series called Sweep by Cate Tiernan. The series is about a young girl who finds out she was adopted and comes from a long line of persecuted witches. The books are about her discovery of her family's past and her resulting adventures.                                                                                                                                                              

I visited the bookstore as a much changed reader but with the purpose of exploring the teen section.  At first glance, it appeared many of my old favourites had died.  Upon further investigation, I found that what I remembered reading in my youth is available and some of it is still being featured.  These classics are now cleverly disguised.  The Outsiders cover had been revamped and Harry Potter was virtually unrecognizable.  The background of Harry Potter is now white with only one colour outline illustration.  To be honest, I liked the old cover much better.  Many memories of beloved books came back to me and their aspects such as the series books that never seem to end and themes of 'puppy love'.  The prevalence of vampire characters seems to be a trend-commercialized to the point of T-shirts, pins, diaries, pencils, etc.etc.etc.                                                                                                                                                                   

In hindsight, many of the books displayed in this section target to teen girls.  The covers depicting trendy girls and the titles hinting at gossip and boys.  Where is the fiction appealing to young men?  I seriously doubt my younger brother was or is interested in many of the books displayed.  He was much more likely to be in the humour section looking at The Simpsons comics or The Zombie Survival Guide when he was younger.  Now he has moved on to how-to books and survival guides.  This leads me to the question of where is the teen boy section??