The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

Salinger, J. D. (1951).  The Catcher in the rye.  Toronto: Bantam Books.

ISBN: 0553250256   

Summary:  The story begins with Holden Caulfield explaining in first person narration about his final days as a Junior at Pencey Prep after getting kicked out for failing four of his five classes.  He leaves Pencey a few days earlier than planned after he gets in a fight with his room-mate about a girl. Holden takes a train in the middle of the night from Pennsylvania to New York City but chooses to not go to his apartment before the date his parents are expecting his return and to instead check into a hotel and bar hop in the city.  Everywhere he goes, Holden is quite miserable and depressed.  He meets a few characters over a few days in the city, all of whom annoy him for being "phony" and further depress him.

Additional Comments:  The Catcher in the Rye is a classic and timeless in its appeal to young adults, particularly privileged young adults who have a gripe with superficial social norms found among the upper echelons of society and who can relate to the prep school setting against which Holden Caulfield rebels.  Though nearly 60 years after its original publication, Holden remains an icon for teenage emotional turbulence and angst because of  his extreme depression, suicidal comments and daydreams, irrational ideas, impulsive behavior and remarks, utter sense of loneliness and isolation, confusion about his future, and resentment for and harsh criticism of others. 

Hair (Soundtrack)

MacDermot, Galt (1979). Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical (Cast recording).  United States: RCA Victor Broadway. 

Summary:  After Claude receives his draft card, he arrives in New York City to report for military service but ends up meeting a tribe of long-haired hippies living in Central Park and gets swept away by their pacifist, bohemian, counter-culture lifestyle of LSD, marijuana, and free love. Hair was originally an off-Broadway rock musical in 1967 before being adapted into a movie in 1979 with such stars as Beverly D'Angelo and Treat Williams.

Additional Comments:  Hair addresses all the controversial issues that were dividing society at the time and remain relevant to the present:  anti-war, skepticism of the government and "Big Brother", racism, sexual liberation, experimentation with psychedelic drugs, a budding sense of spirituality and incorporation of eastern philosophies, and non-conformity with societal expectations. Many songs have become anthems for the peace movement and the era, including "The Age of Aquarius", "Good Morning Starshine", and "Let the Sunshine In".  Other simply paint a picture of values and lifestyles of the counter-culture, like the pride of long hair as described in "Hair":  "Gimme a head with hair, long beautiful hair / Shining, gleaming, steaming, flaxen, waxen. . .I want it long, straight, curly, fuzzy / Snaggy, shaggy, ratty, matty /Oily, greasy, fleecy, shining / Gleaming, steaming, flaxen, waxen /Knotted, polka-dotted / Twisted, beaded, braided /Powdered, flowered, and confettied /Bangled, tangled, spangled and spaghettied!"  Hair's rebelliousness and anti-establishment attitude is bound to touch today's teens as much as it did over thirty years ago.

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez

Alvarez, Julia (1992).  How the Garcia girls lost their accents.  New York: Plume. 

Summary:  How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents tells the story of four Dominican sisters whose family moves to New York City when their father is suspected as being part of the underground opposition to the dictatorship, Trujillo.  The young women find themselves navigating an ambiguous path of cultural assimilation, caught between Dominican traditions enforced by their father and a new American lifestyle introduced to them at school. 

Additional comments:  How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents is told in sentimental vignettes that reveal the hardships and mistreatment they faced as immigrants learning to speak English and struggling financial. Their relationship with their home country also evolves.  Female readers will enjoy the dynamic relationships between the contrasting personalities of the sisters.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Myers, Walter Dean (1999). Monster. New York: Scholastic Inc.  

Summary:  Steve Harmon is 16-year-old black high school student on trial for being the lookout in the robbery of a drug store in Harlem, New York during which the owner was shot and killed.  To bring comfort to the deep terror he faces both in the courtroom and in the detention center, Steve narrates his experience in the form of a screen play.

Additional comments:  An intense story presented in a unique and dramatic style. Readers will anxiously flip the pages to see if justice is served in the end.  Raises many questions about racism in the justice system, what is honesty, and reconciling self-identity and the judgment by others.  

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Smith, Betty (1943).  A Tree grows in Brooklyn.  New York:  Harper Collins.

Summary: The Nolan family struggles in the slums of Williamsburg, Brooklyn from 1902 until 1919. Francie's father is an alcoholic who has difficulty holding a steady job as a singing waiter, and Katie's mother provides enough food for her family to survive through her job as a scrubwoman.  Francie and her younger brother, Neeley, grow up collecting garbage for small change and believing that education is the key to their future. 

Additional thoughts: Francie's insights and observations about society, school, family, and the ethical values of the people around her are endearing and ring as true today as they undoubtedly did fifty years ago. Female readers will especially connect with the strong Rommely women.