I was fifteen when I read Catcher in the Rye, a book that honestly changed the way my little adolescent brain looked at the world. The passing of the book’s author, J.D. Salinger, has served as a reminder of how universally loved this book is.

Salinger's ticket to (unwanted) fame, The Catcher in the Rye

The outpouring of emotions over Salinger’s death has been extremely present on social networking sites. RIP J.D. Salinger began trending on Twitter, and I have seen tons of Facebook statuses of people reaffirming their love for “Catcher” and more specifically Holden Caulfield.

Holden is probably one of the most universally admired characters I have encountered in fiction (maybe with the exception of Harry Potter, but that’s a whole different topic). Teenagers and adults alike have been enthused and inspired by Holden’s desire to cling to his childhood and help others do the same. Salinger gave the world the exact protagonist they needed in Cold War era that he was writing and long afterwards. He also made it cool to be an angst-filled, pissed off teenager.

If you haven’t read The Catcher in the Rye I can’t recommend it enough. And for those of you who have read it honor Salinger today by telling everyone how much you hate “phonies.”