FMS Says Goodbye to J.D. Salinger

Cadets at Fishburne Military School acknowledged the value of author J. D. Salinger and his introduction of the main character, Holden Caulfield, in The Catcher in the Rye. Fishburne cadets read this novel about a student who is expelled from a private school in Pennsylvania and travels to the village in New York City. They identify with Holden’s intolerance for corrupt phonies in his life and the insincerity of adults.

The book touches a nerve in teenagers attracted to Caulfield’s support for nonconformist attitudes and the book has remained a best seller since 1951. Fishburne cadets readily identify with Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye and made these comments about the required reading.

Oladeinde Ackerele:  I do not think I have read a better book.  It all took place in three days which I found to be amazing.

Walter Curt:  The story allowed me identify with Holden in his frustration with adults and with phonies.  In the end I realized that he was not stable.

Jason Montgomery:  This was a good book and made me want to continue reading it.

Jean-Marc Angeloni:  Holden knows that you can not save everyone and he has an inordinate desire to protect younger kids from the salacious side of life.

Alex Di Cicco:  I thought it was good because it was different from any other book I had read.  I could identity with Holden and his frustrations.

Susan Johnson:  The best part for me after reading this book was to have my students agree with me about the worth of the read.  When someone asked if Salinger had written any other books, I knew I had made a good selection.

Put together by FMS Asst. Superintendent, Susan Johnson