“The Catcher in the Rye” gave me a real connection with the main character, Holden Caulfield, and also allowed me to relate to him in several ways. The story is always from his point of view, and he is a very contemplative and clearly troubled child, often having more advanced thoughts than young adults of his age, and observing the world and people around him. A common theme in his thought processes is finding people to be “phony”, and he wishes that people would be a more genuine contribution. However, this idea of being true to himself leads to him wanting to be independent, so before he is expelled from his school he does various activities in New York City and grows to understand himself through them. Overall, Caulfield has several unconventional, advanced ways of thinking which lead to actions that many people his age may not even think of, and although this may seem advantageous, his depression over seemingly meaningless scenarios is a clear liability. I would recommend this book, and although it has some explicit scenes, all of them are meaningful and portray the experimental nature of teens. The intimate connection between the reader and the main character leads me to pick project number 4, as most of the main events in the story can be attributed to Caulfields many unique traits, some of which I can deeply relate with.