mohini Posted April 17, 2016 Share Posted April 17, 2016 My 10yr old picked up Catcher in the Rye and started reading. I have mixed feelings about him reading it. I honestly thought that he would lose interest but he's really into it. I'm not sure it's appropriate for him but I also don't think it's outrageously inappropriate. That said, there are some themes that I'd like to address - i.e. Holden's smoking, drinking, soliciting prostitutes and generally being angst ridden. I'm not afraid to have an honest conversation with him but I'm not even sure how much of the story he's comprehending. So WWYD? Would you let him come to you with questions or push in to "explain" and "discuss"? I mean like - if he doesn't even get that the girl is a prostitute should I point it out so we can discuss it? Are there any good resources anyone has for it or good follow up books? Or should I just let it go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted April 17, 2016 Share Posted April 17, 2016 My instinct is to let it go. It's good for kids to work out some things in their own minds. I believe reading material should be limited to a conversation between the author and the reader unless the reader chooses otherwise. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted April 17, 2016 Share Posted April 17, 2016 (edited) If he has questions, answer. If he does not, let him be. I cannot imagine a kid being harmed by reading Catcher in the Rye at the wrong age. Most likely, some things will be over his head. Or he may get bored. Or he may finish it. I can't see what the problem would be - books are full of behaviors our kids should not emulate. Btw, everybody in my family dislikes the book, because we cannot muster an ounce of sympathy for the protagonist. Edited April 17, 2016 by regentrude 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted April 17, 2016 Share Posted April 17, 2016 I would be cautious about pointing out too many of the implied details like the prostitute. Your son might pick up on the idea that Holden is interested in this girl, but I do not know that many even sophisticated 10 year olds know about prostitution. The Epic of Gilgamesh has the Harlot. I explained to my son that Enkido has sex with her, but not prostitution. That is elevating the game a bit, IYKWIM. I read "Catcher" in 7th grade, age 12, and LOVED it. I understood probably 65%. Holden's angst resonated with me. His social frustration, his feelings of adults overly controlling him and the need to conform even though he did not want to, made me feel heard. I can only imagine what my mother would have thought if she knew! Wisely, my English teacher set up times for me to come and talk to him. I had to answer three questions about every week: What is one thing you really liked? What is one thing you really didn't like? What is one part of Holden's character or his decisions you are curious about? He was the best teacher I have ever had! I say that we talked, but really, he was feeling out how much I actually understood and how angsty I was really feeling. I just didn't know it then. I mainly talked, he went all Socratic with it and just listened. He would ask open ended questions and feed the conversation, he would suggest other books to read, he would throw out a few personal experiences with angst that went horriblly wrong (like getting his dog's head stuck in a fence before his family was going to go on vacation, so they had to miss it. All due to him not listening to his parents advice since he was sure they were "phoneys." He snuck out once to go meet a girl in the park, and he kissed her. Only it was his first time ever kissing a girl and he did it all wrong and wound up more licking the side of her face. She never talked to him again. He is still embarrassed about it. Totally appropriate stories for a 12 year old, but tangentally related to the story.) I later reread Catcher and my admiration of my English teacher grew even more. He handled what could have been a very tricky situation very well. Wow, I missed a lot! But I definitely developed a love of reading. I also found myself in a character for the first time. The book spoke to me. It was the first one that really felt like more than just a story. My son read Fahrenheit 451 around 9. He loved it. It confirmed his frustration with society. He completely missed the suicide portion of the beginning. It wasn't important to him. It just didn't resonate with where he was in life. We channeled the angst into good things. I think these books only get dangerous if there isn't someone to guide the thoughts that go with them. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted April 17, 2016 Share Posted April 17, 2016 I read it when I was young, but not 10. I never knew there was a prostitute in the book, lol. And I found it kind of boring. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted April 17, 2016 Share Posted April 17, 2016 Yes! I think that's the meaning of, "you never read the same book twice." The book grows with you. A child can gloss over things he isn't ready to understand and yet still grasp the story on a level he's developmentally ready for. Unlike video, reading doesn't hit you squarely in the face. You can skim parts that make you uncomfortable and work through them a little bit at a time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted April 17, 2016 Share Posted April 17, 2016 I read it when I was young, but not 10. I never knew there was a prostitute in the book, lol. And I found it kind of boring. I'm glad you said that! I read it in high school and don't remember a prostitute either! I don't know if I'm just that old or if I didn't pick it up the first time around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baile Posted April 18, 2016 Share Posted April 18, 2016 My 11-year-old read Catcher last summer and loved it. He knew that it was one of Dh's favorite books as a teenager, so he did want to talk about the book with Dh, and they watched a documentary about JD Salinger together when it aired on TV a few weeks later. If your son doesn't bring it up, I might ask him whether he liked the book, whether he liked Holden, etc., just to give him an opportunity to ask any questions that he may have, but I wouldn't push him to discuss the issues you mentioned. If there were parts that he ignored because he didn't completely understand, I think it would be best to leave them alone for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RKWAcademy Posted April 18, 2016 Share Posted April 18, 2016 I was about 11-12 when my dad gave me Catcher in the Rye. I loved it! It was absolutely perfect timing for me. To this day it is still one of my favorites. I'd let it go. If he likes it, chances are he'll re-read it in a few years and pick up more, perhaps asking better questions then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohini Posted April 18, 2016 Author Share Posted April 18, 2016 Thanks everybody - this actually helped a lot. I will follow up with some open ended questions like EndofOrdinary suggested but I suspect you are all right - he will get what he needs to out of it. Thanks for the encouragement. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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