The Catcher In the Rye - By J.D. Salinger

I took to reading at around 17 or 18 years old. Don’t get me wrong, I knew how to read before then, I just didn’t like to. My A.D.D. wouldn’t have it.

Catcher In the Rye was one of the few books that made the cut for me earlier on. I was around 14 years old when a friend turned me on to the coolest, most anti-grown-up thing I’d ever read. It was a living thing with its own red cover and gold-yellow lettering.

And the author’s name was J.D. Salinger – so cool.

I read it and kept it like a secret. It was a rebellious book written just for me; a kid who wanted to rebel.

When I finally told my mom that I read  Catcher, she smiled and told me that she remembered sitting with her girlfriends when she was my age, reading from the same “dirty book” and reveling in the sweet magic of teenage rebellion.

I’d like to propose a toast to the creator of a timeless classic that has and will continue to live on through generations. Heck, you even managed to entertain me.

Rest in peace, Mr. Salinger.