RIP J.D. Salinger

This will forever be one of my favorite books. I remember very few details about the story, but I read it during a pretty critical and confusing time in my life. I was 19 and home from college for the summer, full of anxiety and incredibly depressed. I couldn't keep a job, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat.

So I'd take this book to the beach near my parent's house and try to quiet my head down by reading it. It worked incredibly well, as I was sucked in to the story of a misguided girl who falls apart at the seams for reasons unbeknown to her as well as the reader. She's then given answers by her older (but not necessarily wiser) brother, Zooey. According to some, it's about the search for enlightenment.

It spoke to me on some really intense, beautiful levels. I didn't find enlightenment necessarily, but it gave me a lot of peace when I needed it terribly. It made me feel less alone in some strange way. I think as an author he really had a talent for that.

I have always been curious about Salinger, since he's such a recluse. My mother once showed me the neighborhood where he lived. It seemed very quiet and secluded, but clean and sweet.

I don't know why he was a recluse, but I know he contributed a whole hell of a lot to literature. I hope he realized that at some point.