Provides a rich source of social, cultural, and historical documents and commentary illuminating The Catcher in the Rye . In addition to a literary analysis, the authors, professors at Franklin and Marshall College and at McCaskey High School, acquaint students with the larger world in which Holden Caulfield moves: Hollywood films, Broadway plays, and jazz. They present a detailed account of the censorship challenges to the novel and provide primary documents on child development and psychology. Interviews with prep school students of the 1950s and materials on the prep school world of that time place the novel in its cultural and social context. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)