Dear Lovely Land,
"The Catcher in the Rye" is an important piece of modern American
literature. It is also nevertheless one of the most challenged books,
and many parents object to the insertion of this piece in compulsory
reading lists. In fact, it had been removed from the reading list in
more than one school in the nation since the 1960s, and in some cases
removed altogether from the libraries, following parents' protests.
Some claim, that the piece is not suitable for minors, because of
profanity, messages, etc. The Catcher in the Rye, according to the
objectors is "not proper for teenagers; [full of] dirty words, [its
messages leave] negative impact, [it is] too sophisticated; [it
suffers of] lack of plot; [it is] profuse vulgarity; sacrilegious,
pornographic; objectionable references to homosexuality; not a
positive example for youth; no redeeming social value in book."
(SOURCE: Burress, Lee (1985) Celebrating Censored Books.).
A whole passage (from which I chose not to quote of copyright reasons)
on the history of censorship of the Catcher in the Rye appears in
Banned Books: Suppressed on Social Grounds by Dawn B. Sova. vol.2. New
York: Facts on File, c.1998 and on the Website The Catcher in the Rye
Pages <http://www.euronet.nl/users/los/censorhistory.html>. The books
were censored for the reasons mentioned above, as well as for being
"anti-White" (alongside with "To Kill A Mockingbird" and "Brave New
World").
Brother Ignatius Mary wrote in this context that "The "Catcher in the
Rye" is a perceptive study of one individual's understanding of his
human condition. It explores the psychological deterioration and the
dynamics and progress of that deterioration of a sixteen year old that
has been kicked out of school.
The book is an excellent teaching tool to help teens confront and deal
with their own intense emotions. It is a very valuable book. It deals
with a side of the human condition that is not very comfortable, but
of which most of us have experienced in one way or another.
In learning about what it means to be human, from the point-of-view of
this book, one gains an insight into themselves that may, in fact,
help them to cope with or even avoid the pitfalls of the boy in the
book.
[...]
Although both of these books [the Brother is also referring to One
Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest"] are rated for grades 9-12 I personally
would rate "The Catcher in the Rye" no less than 10th Grade; and "One
Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest" no less than 12th grade.
Bottomline: in the right context, with appropriate Catholic guidance,
I find these books to be of great value for our high school and
college age kids.
As for being REQUIRED, well I think a parent always has the right to
ask the school to exclude their children from any such "requirement"."
(SOURCE: Required Reading, Legion of St. Michael Website,
<http://www.saint-mike.org/apologetics/qa/Answers/Faith_Spirituality/f0312180587.html>).
Although most of the activity is done on the local level, many parents
groups object to the book as reading material for young adults:
Citizens for Excellence in Education
http://www.nace-cee.org/
A Christian organisation of parents and educators.
American Family Association
http://www.afa.net/
On the other hand, many sites do list the book as suitable exactly for
that age group - dealing with their problems, but also because of its
literary style.
For example:
Memphis University School - SUMMER READING 2003
http://www.musowls.org/library/student_resources/Reading_Lists/summer_reading_2003_new.htm
St. John's-Ravenscourt School - grade 9
www.sjr.mb.ca/english/grade9.html
Alan Zeoli The Catcher in the Rye Tiered Activity ? word document
http://www.manhattan.k12.ca.us/staff/pware/diff/rye.doc
The Ellis School - Entering Grade 9
REQUIRED SUMMER READING
www.theellisschool.org/summerread-9.html
And as reading for other age groups:
THE ALTAMONT SCHOOL SUMMER READING LIST - GRADE 8
http://www.altamontschool.org/reading%20lists/EIGHT02trial.htm (as an elective)
Saint Joseph Academy - for grade 12
http://www.stjoeacademy.org/Academic/English.htm
Another claim to object the censorship of the book is "Removing
Catcher in The Rye and even Lady Chatterly's Lover from the school
library will "only" leave our children exposed to much more sexually
explicit messages from magazines, movies, television, clothing stores
and the rest of our culture, including of course the Song of Songs
among other Biblical narratives" (SOURCE: Amitai Etzioni , "Virtue
Should Be Seen, Not Just Heard," Education Week, (May 29, 1996), p.
40, reprinted in The Communitarian Network site
<http://www.gwu.edu/~ccps/etzioni/B279.html>).
There is a point to that: with the amount of violence and profanity in
modern society, The Catcher seems almost innocent.
Possible Alternatives
=====================
Quiet frankly, this was the most difficult part to write. It is not
only a matter of taste, but I am also one of those who believe that no
book has a replacement. Each book is a world on its own. In the case
of The Catcher in the Rye, the literary style was unique and
revolutionary in comparison with other books, and one of the reasons
for it being a classic is the fact that it applies this unique tone.
This breathlessness, direct style, is very difficult to imitate. Funny
enough, I find Albert Camus' The Stranger similar in style and
structure, but in my opinion you cannot read it before the 11th grade
(at least).
To add to the problem, many books that also describe the problems of
growing up, or have similar style (a very personal one), have the same
"faults" that The Catcher in the Rye has, namely, the use of
profanity, dealing with sexual problems, or general rebellious nature.
A good example would be the Diary of Anne Frank. The Diary, written by
a real girl during the Holocaust in the Netherlands, also depicts her
frustrations with her parents, her sexual desires, and other tensions
that many teenagers experience. Some parents? organisations demanded
that this book would be banned from libraries, or at least from
reading lists.
In order to compile that list, I used - except for my own knowledge -
reading lists in more conservative or Christian schools. These lists
are sometimes surprising: one of the schools recommends for example
Lord of the Flies (which I listed bellow). In my own opinion, it is
much more dangerous in that age to expose children to that level of
violence than it is to the experiences of a rebellious runaway.
There are several other books that you may consider nevertheless:
- Anne Frank - Diary of Anne Frank
- Maya Angelou - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
- Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
- Betty Smith - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
- Jamaica Kincaid - Annie John
- William Golding - Lord of the Flies
All of those books contain at least two features in The Catcher's
style and themes: the problems of growing up, and an adolescent
narrative. All are considered classics and are recommended reading for
this age group (though I expressed my own reservations regarding "Lord
of the Flies").
Classics, that if not taught in your school, could serve as an alternative:
- John Steinbeck - Of Mice and Men
- George Orwell - 1984 or The Animal Farm.
Less important but also depict young adults and growing up:
- Richard Wright - Black Boy
- Sandra Cisneros - The House on Mango Street
Further Reading
===============
John S. Simmons, Middle Schoolers and the Right to Read, The ALAN
Review, Spring 2000 Volume 27, Number 3,
<http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/spring00/simmons.html>.
Burress, Lee (1985) Celebrating Censored Books.
Gateway to Better Education , Challenging A Book In Your School
<http://www.gtbe.com/resources/resource_articles/a_challenging_school_book.htm>
Moral Values & Spirituality in Children's & Young Adult Literature
<http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/moral.htm>
Suzanne Reid and Sharon Stringer, Ethical Dilemmas in Teaching Problem
Novels, Alan Review, Winter 1997 Volume 24, Number 2
<http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/winter97/w97-05-Reid.html>
I hope this answered your question. Search terms:
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22alternatives+to+the+catcher%22
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22Catcher+in+the+Rye%22+grade+%22reading+material
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22christian+OR+conservative%22+%22reading+list%22+%229th+grade%22
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22read+the+catcher+in+the+rye%22+conservative&spell=1
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22alternatives+to%22+%22catcher+in+the+rye%22
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22alternatives+to+catcher+in+the+rye%22
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22catcher+in+the+rye%22+%22American+Family+Association%22
- here you could find a lot on the objections to the Catcher in the
Rye.
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22catcher+in+the+rye%22+%22nor+suitable%22
Please contact me if you need any further clarification on this answer
before you rate it. |
