The History of the Catcher in the Rye

A recent Vanderbilt University graduate, Liam Cronin earned his Bachelor of Science in Human and Organizational Development. Liam Cronin appreciates J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. The Vanderbilt alumnus is especially interested in the perspective of the novel’s protagonist, Holden Caulfield. 

In the United States, The Catcher in the Rye ranks among the books most commonly included in high school curricula. Much of its appeal to young people has to do with the character Holden Caulfield, an adolescent misfit who comes face-to-face with the inadequacies of adults and the adult world. 

The novel’s history is riddled with controversy. First published in 1951, it was banned from myriad schools and libraries for its frank discussion of sexuality and its use of vulgar language. 

In any event, the book was so popular when it came out that it was selected for the Book of the Month Club. J.D. Salinger became a celebrity, but the role did not sit well with him. The author entered a life of seclusion at his home in Cornish, New Hampshire, and continued to publish until the mid-1960s.

A Celebration of Life at Vanderbilt University Honors Former Student

While attending Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, Liam Cronin studied human and organizational development with a focus on leadership and organizational effectiveness. A 2016 graduate of Vanderbilt, Liam Cronin spent time as a corporate sponsorship chairman of a benefit that was the school’s largest single-chapter philanthropic fundraiser.

Marcus Kyle Craig was a student at Vanderbilt University and had finished the spring semester of his junior year after studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain. In May 2010, Craig took his own life. To honor him, the brothers of Beta Theta Pi brought State Radio, a rock band, to play a concert in April 2011 at the university’s Alumni Lawn. Named "A Celebration of Life," this event raised more than $25,000 for Minding Your Mind (MYM), an organization aimed at helping adolescents deal with mental health issues.

As a result, the benefit became an annual spring fundraiser at the university that has raised more than $100,000 for MYM. On April 20, 2016, students hosted the sixth annual event at Centennial Park. Featured at the three-hour gathering were live music, food, and a silent auction. Items up for bid included a signed university team basketball, a signed bat by the university’s national championship baseball team, and an autographed NCAA national championship jersey.

Minding Your Mind Stresses the Importance of Early Intervention

A campus sales representative and brand ambassador for Uber, Liam Cronin studied human and organizational development at Vanderbilt University. In the spring of 2015 as a member of the Vanderbilt chapter of Beta Theta Pi, Liam Cronin served as the corporate sponsorship chairman for the A Celebration of Life campaign, which raised funds for Minding Your Mind.

The mental health organization Minding Your Mind offers a variety of educational resources on its website, including details about early intervention for someone who may have a mental health disorder. Early intervention is critical to the long-term health of individuals with mental health disorders. Evidence suggests that those who seek help earlier will be less likely to experience a recurrence of their symptoms than those who do not.

Statistically speaking, 75 percent of those with a diagnosed mental disorder will show symptoms by the age of 24, and approximately 50 percent show symptoms by the age of 14. Despite these statistics, about 80 percent of youth who require mental health services never receive them.

It helps to learn to recognize clinical criteria for mental health disorders versus normal behaviors for youth in the tough period of transition to adulthood. By doing so, friends and relatives can help loved ones seek help early on in order to eliminate the potential for it to become life-threatening.

How to Use BooksDore

A recent graduate of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, Liam Cronin majored in human and organizational development and minored in corporate strategy. While earning his bachelor of science degree at Vanderbilt, Liam Cronin helped found the textbook buy-and-sell program known as BooksDore.

Created to help students save money on textbooks, BooksDore exists online as a group on Facebook. Members of the group can buy or sell their textbooks much more easily and cost-effectively than going through the university bookstore.

Buyers can search for books for a particular class by the official course name and number, such as EES 101 or HOD 1100. The search will bring up a document with seller information. After double-checking that the document has the correct teacher and class, users contact the seller to effect the book exchange.

Sellers also begin with a search. After discovering the document for the particular class, sellers post contact information and book details (including condition, approximate price, and ISBN) on the document. If no document exists for that class, sellers can create a new document by going to Files.

For additional information about BooksDore, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/119485468238091.