For banned book week, I decided to read Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger which explored an angst-y, hormonal, teenaged boy's life within the span of three days. A very controversial book indeed, the book has been banned in several schools across the nation since it's initial release. The book has been a “favorite of censors since its publication,” according to the American Library Association. Holden Caulfield, the novel's protagonist, has since become an icon for adolescent angst. 25 year-old Mark David Chapman killed Beatles legend John Lennon and later gave the book to police as an explanation for why he did it. It is alarmingly easy to fall in love with Holden Caulfield even though he hates just about everything. He walks around calling everyone a "phony" and constantly reminisces about a girl he's sort of in love with. With a dangerous amount of dry humor and oddly inspiring wisdom interweaved throughout the story it was hard to not want to be there with him. As a bit of a history buff myself, I found it absolutely delightful how much 50's slang there was, even though I had no idea what he was saying half the time. Catcher in the Rye introduced slang expressions like the phrase screw up as in, “Boy, it really screws up my sex life something awful”. Critics have both hailed and assailed the novel, which broke the mold with its focus on character development rather than plot. It is a shame that some people aren't allowed to read this amazing piece of work. Just because someone's parent doesn't want their kid to read a book doesn't mean that no body can. No matter what the circumstances are, a book should never be stolen away from the avid minds of students.