J.D. Salinger's THE CATCHER IN THE RYE. Why? Because the question is about overrated and that's my reaction to the near hysteria from the media and the elites to these pages produce for this character (Holden Caulfield) and his whining, boastful, self-absorption, and preoccupied with his identity. The only thing really good about the book is that you have a picture in Caulfield the quintessential liberal. I was very pleased to see Mr. Salinger's book was often mentioned on this FREEPERs list of top three over rated books, and note that Salinger only wrote one book. When he died the fawning Liberal media, also convinced that Obama is a great president, were in a swoon in the hopes that Salinger had stashed away a few unpublished "masterpieces." None have been found.
Finally, I offer Joseph Heller's CATCH-22. Why? It's at best an okay book, but I'll take my Kafka straight. I don't need the dumbed-down derivative swill. I realize Heller needed to denigrate those who fought in WWII, and as a veteran of that war he could get away with it. I realize, too, that military organizations can have plenty of pompous people and absurd rules. Still, his book is over the top inane and, IMHO, of no lasting value.
“Catch-22” is a reworking of “The Fateful Adventures of the Good Soldier Švejk in the World War” by Jaroslav Hašek - Joseph Heller himself once said that he would never have written “Catch-22” had he not read “Švejk” to begin with; it was the inspiration for his book.
I like Catcher in the Rye but never thought it as good as many say it is, but for me Salinger’s Best Book is “Raise High the Roof Beam Carpenters” it transports you to a time long past when formal occasions were an affair that required social protocol and how people react when those protocols were disrupted.