J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye: A Cultural History by Josef Benson (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers)

This wonderful books is a  found it to a very interesting read about the historical  times and conditions  that shaped The Catcher in the Rye. The book is a great educational supplement to one of the greatest novels of the 20th century.,

Since its publication in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye has been a cultural phenomenon, not only as an assigned text for English courses, but as a touchstone for generations of alienated youth. As the focus of recent major films and a successful off-Broadway play attest, J.D. Salinger and his novel continue to fascinate an American reading public. But who was J.D. Salinger, and how did he come to write a novel whose impact continues to resonate with millions of readers? 

In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye: A Cultural History, Josef Benson examines the legacy of an elusive author and his work. After exploring how the novel reflected Salinger’s tortured psyche, the study discusses how the book made an impact on multiple generations of readers—from 1960s counter-culture youth and followers of the Black Power movement of the 1970s to the disenfranchised teens of the Reagan era and the celebrity-fixated masses of the present day. Benson also unravels the mystery behind Salinger’s reclusiveness, the effects the novel had on the reading public who adored it, and why three American assassins cited the novel as an inspiration.

The author also considers why this work of fiction has been among the most widely taught—and most frequently banned—books of all time. By looking at the novel as both an artifact of the 1950s as well as a living testament to the turmoil of teenage angst, J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye provides a riveting discussion of one of the most enigmatic novels and authors of all time.

Josef Benson is associate professor of Literatures and Languages at the University of Wisconsin Parkside where he offers courses in contemporary literature, African American literature, gender studies, poetry writing, fiction writing, and composition. He is the author of J.D. Salinger's the Catcher in the Rye: A Cultural History (Rowman & Littlefield 2018) and Hypermasculinities in the Contemporary Novel: Cormac McCarthy, Toni Morrison, and James Baldwin (Rowman & Littlefield 2014). Additionally, his work has appeared or is forthcoming in over twenty publications, including: American Literature in Transition, 1980-1990 (Cambridge UP), Journal of Medical Humanities, Journal of Bisexuality, Southwestern American Literature, The Raymond Carver Review, Saw Palm, Moon City Review, The Adirondack Review, and Prick of the Spindle. He holds creative writing degrees from Missouri State University and the University of South Florida, as well as a Ph.D. in literature with a heavy emphasis in gender theory also from the University of South Florida, where he studied primarily with Susan Mooney, John Henry Fleming, and Jay Hopler. He is currently working on two books under contract, Whiteness in American Comics and Graphic Novels (UP of Mississippi 2019) and Star Wars: The Triumph of Nerd Culture (Rowman & Littlefield 2020).