Welcome to the latest edition of Looks from Books, which aims to prove that you can look smart, while still being book-smart, too. Fashion inspiration can be found between the pages of your favorite stories, on well-designed book covers, and in your favorite characters… if you read closely enough.

This week, we’re focusing on The Catcher in the Rye, a classic novel that most of you have probably read, whether for school or for pleasure (or maybe a bit of both). Let’s get started!

Catcher in the Rye book cover via Amazon

Table of Contents

Inside Cover: A Little Bit of Background

The Catcher in the Rye is an iconic mid-20th-century novel by J.D. Salinger. This coming-of-age story follows the narrator, sixteen-year-old dropout Holden Caulfield, as he wanders around New York City for three days in December, attempting to avoid telling his parents he’s been kicked out of yet another school. After a series of mishaps and misunderstandings, Holden, in the end, learns more about himself, and begins to understand the process of growing older.

Published in 1951, the controversial novel has earned its place as a bookshelf favorite, and has garnered more than a few cries for censorship due to its depictions of sexual deviancy, prostitution, and underage drinking, as well as its excessive use of profanity. Now the calling card for rebellious kids everywhere, the book was originally intended for adults, which explains the heavy subject matter. However, this doesn’t stop the more “hip” English teachers from assigning it in high schools across the country.

A Fashionable Literacy

The Catcher in the Rye has never been adapted for film, at the deliberate request of the author. True to the rebellious nature of the book, J.D. Salinger would not allow anyone – even the likes of Steven Spielberg, Harvey Weinsten, Jack Nicholson, and Leonardo DiCaprio – to attach themselves to the story, despite the ever-increasing popularity of the book. In his will, Salinger left the rights to the novel, as well as any potential for a large-screen adaptation, to his wife and daughter, glad to provide for his family after death, and especially glad that he’d never have to see anyone pretend to be Holden.