Famous First Line

“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.”

This quote belongs to J.D. Salinger. He was born on January 1, 1919 and died a few years ago on January 27, 2010. Salinger didn’t start off wanting to become a writer; he actually went to school for business. He flunked out of many schools that he went to, and then took a trip to Europe where he found his love for writing instead of business like his father wanted. When he got back, a professor named Whit Burnett at Columbia University developed Salinger’s passion and led him to start publishing his works in big name papers such as the Saturday Evening Post. His career was interrupted when he was drafted into WWII, but resumed when he came back and published Catcher in the Rye in 1951, a novel he wrote while in the war.

Catcher in the Rye is a fictional story about a boy named Holden Caulfield who begins the story as a flunk out. Deciding that he needs to find himself, he goes on a little adventure that teaches him about belonging, identity, loss, and connection with those around him. Many teenage readers love this book because they can relate to the themes of angst, rebellion, and alienation that is portrayed in the book.

I think that I would enjoy this book. Caulfield sounds like someone who I would love to meet. I also am very intrigued on the idea of going on an adventure and having all the experiences to figure out who you are and where you are meant to be.