Reading The Catcher in the Rye, Barcelona, 2017
Originally intended for adults, it is often read by adolescents for its themes of angst and alienation, and as a
critique of superficiality in society. The novel also deals with complex issues of innocence, identity, belonging,
loss, connection, sex, and depression.
~ Wikipedia, The Catcher in the Rye
It was five years after I had photographed a barefoot young woman reading in a Barcelona park before I realized she
was holding a book with a recognizable English title. When I first read The Catcher in the Rye myself, decades
before making the photograph, I wanted to slap some sense into Holden Caulfield; now, I have more sympathy.
It’s been a strange five years since I saw her reading in that park. Facts became false opinions, truth became fake
news. A pandemic, empty streets and highways, the loss of friends and family. For a while, mask wearing became
more ubiquitous on the sidewalks than people looking at their phones. An insurrection, a war in Europe, extreme weather.
Some believe that the ending of Catcher in the Rye is optimistic. Let’s hope they are right.
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Barcelona, 2017
Barcelona, 2017
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Rome, 2019
Rome, 2019
Barcelona, 2017
Rome, 2019
Rome, 2019
Taos, 2010
Austin, 2017
Rome, 2019
Oxford, 2022
Austin, 2010
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Rome, 2019
Rome, 2019
Austin, 2019
Austin, 2019
Rome, 2019
Barcelona, 2017
Oxford, 2022
Oxford, 2022
Oxford, 2022
Rome, 2019
Rome, 2019
Rome, 2019
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London, 2021
London, 2021
Santa Fe, 2021
Oxford, 2022
Oxford, 2022
London, 2021
Oxford, 2022
Oxford, 2022
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Sydney, 2018
Sydney, 2018
Rome, 2019
Austin, 2021
Austin, 2017
Austin, 2017
Oxford, 2022
Oxford, 2022
Oxford, 2022
Sydney, 2018
Barcelona, 2017
Rome, 2019
Rome, 2019
London, 2021
Sydney, 2018
Rome, 2019
Rome, 2019
Barcelona, 2017
Austin, 2017
Oxford, 2022
Oxford, 2022
Austin, 2017
Oxford, 2022
Barcelona, 2017
Isle of Mull, 2018
Ulva Ferry, 2018
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Burford, 2022
Glasgow, 2018
Glasgow, 2018
Glasgow, 2018
Glasgow, 2018
Rome, 2019
Oxford, 2022
Oxford, 2022
San Antonio, 2021
Oxford, 2022
Oxford, 2022
Oxford, 2022
Oxford, 2022
Oxford, 2022
Hornchurch, 1999
Rome, 2019
Oxford, 2022
Burford, 2022
Burford, 2022
Santa Fe, 2021
Santa Fe, 2021
Valles Caldera, 2021
Valles Caldera, 2021
Rome, 2019
Oxford, 2022
Oxford, 2022
