I was never assigned this book so had never read it, though of course knew of it and thought, for some blondish reason, that the location was some small town, surrounded by fields of Rye. Ran across it clearing out stuff at work as we are moving the office. I always thought that coming of age was about crossing the line into adulthood, through religious, societal or some other sort of ceremony, or introduction. (or surgery...) I am reading it now and Kim gets it next. It isn't assigned at his school either. John has read it and I am looking forward to a family book discussion.