本书是全英文著作，将美国作家塞林格的《麦田守望者》和美国黑人作家埃里森的《看不见的人》进行对比，分析美国白人和黑人男性青少年在成长过程中寻找自我的异同；还对比美国黑人女作家莫里森的《宠儿》和中国作家林语堂的《风声鹤唳》中的女性青少年丹芙和梅玲，探讨中西女性青少年在不同的文化中如何寻求自我身份的肯定过程。最后，从四部成长小说中归纳青少年在成长中的共性、或同性和特性。本书是外国文学爱好者、英语学习者及高校师生的英语扩展读物。

Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Some Guiding Concepts from Social Psychology and Develop-mental Psychology
2.1 Defining Self-identity in terms of Social Psychology and Develop-mental Psychology
2.2 The Process of Searching for the Self-identity
Chapter 3 Contrastive Analysis of The Catcher in the Rye and Invisible Man
3.1 Searching for Self-identity in The Catcher in the Rye
3.1.1 The Four-Fold Concept of Identity Status
3.1.2 Family's Influence on the Confirming of the Self-identity.
3.1.3 Peer's Influence on the Confirming of the Self-identity
3.1.4 School's Influence on the Confirming of the Self-identity
3.1.5 Quest for the True Self-identity
3.2 Searching for Self-identity in Invisible Man
3.2.1 The Four Stages of Minority Identity Development
3.2.2 Some Important Characters' Influences on Searching for the Self-identity
3.2.3 The Reasons Why the Protagonist Failed to Confirm His Self-identity
3.2.4 Ascertain the True Self-identity
3.3 Comparison and Contrast of the Protagonists in The Catcher in the Rye and Invisible Man from the Perspective of Initiation Story
3.3.1 The Common Points between the Two Novels
3.3.2 The Different Aspects between the Two Novels
Chapter 4 Contrastive Analysis of Beloved and A Leaf in the Storm
4.1 Searching for Self-identity in Beloved
4.1.1 Where Did I Come from？
4.1.2 Where Am I Now?
4.1.3 Where Am I Going to?
4.1.4 What Will I Do?
4.2 Searching for Self-identity in A Leaf in the Storm
4.2.1 The Lost Self
4.2.2 Contact with Others
4.2.3 An Important Guider
4.2.4 Devoting Oneself to Society
4.3 Comparison and Contrast of Beloved and A Leaf in the Storm from the perspective of Initiation story
4.3.1 The Common Points between Beloved and A Leaf in the Storm
4.3.2 The Different Aspects between Beloved and A Leaf in the Storm
Chapter 5 Relation between Social Reality and Literary Manifestation
5.1 The Relation between Social Reality and Literary Manifest in The Catcher in the Rye
5.2 The Relation Between Social Reality and Literary Manifest in Invisible Man
5.2.1 Ralph Ellison's Ideology
5.2.2 How Does the Fiction Reflect the Reality?
5.3 The Relation between Social Reality and Literary Manifest in Beloved
5.3.1 The Background Information of the Fiction
5.3.2 Toni Morrison's Ideology
5.4 The Relation between Social Reality and Literary Manifest in A Leaf in the Storm
5.4.1 LinYutang's Personal Situation and His Ideology
5.4.2 The Purpose of Writing the Novel
5.4.3 How Does the Fiction Reflect the Reality
5.5 Analysis of the Four Novels from the Perspective of Endings of Initiation Story
Chapter 6 Universality, Generality and Particularity of Adolescent Experience
6.1 Universality of Adolescents' Development about the Self-identity
6.2 Generality of Adolescents' Development about the Self-identity
6.3 Particularity of Adolescents' Development about the Self-identity
Chapter 7 Conclusion
References