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J.D Salinger supports the American Dream by displaying characters who overcome obstacles to achieve their goals, having to give up writing for a few years to join the army, and dealing with PTSD after serving.

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J.D. Salinger endured challenging times growing up in New York City joining the army while managing to continue to write. Before his writing career took off, he joined the army to fight in WWII. “The trauma from the war resulted in a nervous breakdown after which Salinger was hospitalized.” Salinger was forced the go into the military at 21 years old. During that time, he started writing “Catcher and the Rye”, an award winning novel. He met his first wife in the hospital while he suffered from PTSD from the war. He battled through it and continued to write books and became famous when he published “Catcher and the Rye”. Salinger proves that hard work and dedication will achieve your dreams.

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Famous not only for his writing but also for his private nature, J.D. Salinger is the author of the famous 1951 novel, The Catcher in the Rye. The autobiographic nature of the novel became the voice of a whole generation of young men wedged in frustration over the conventions of society. An immediate best-seller, the success of The Catcher in the Rye, however, did not persuade Salinger to publish another novel.

Jerome David Salinger was born in New York City on January 1, 1919. He was the youngest son of a rabbi, Sol Salinger and Miriam. Not proving to be a good student, Salinger was sent to Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania after failing at the McBurney School in New York. Salinger later studied at Ursinus College and New York University. Salinger published a story for the first time at the age of 21 when he met and befriended Whit Burnett who was the founder and editor of the Story Magazine at Columbia University. Burnett encouraged Salinger's writing talent and published his stories in his magazine. Soon Salinger's work started making its way to more publications such as the Saturday Evening Post and Collier's. Just when Salinger's writing career had started taking off, he was interrupted by the break of World War II and had to serve in the Army (1942-1944). It was during this time that Salinger started working on his masterpiece, giving birth to the legendry character of Holden Caulfield.

The trauma from the war resulted in a nervous breakdown after which Salinger was hospitalized. While under treatment, Salinger met his first wife Sylvia, probably a German Nazi. The two stayed in marriage for a short period of 8 months only. In 1955, Salinger married again, Claire Douglas, daughter, of a noted art critic. Maintaining the marriage for a little more than 10 years, the couple had two children. Six years after his divorce, a new relationship bloomed when he noticed the name of Joyce Maynard, whose story in New York Times Magazine impressed Salinger after which he started a series of intense correspondence with her. Joyce soon moved in with Salinger and was lashed out after 10 months. In 1998 Joyce wrote about her experience with Salinger, describing him to be an obsessive lover. Maynard was not the end of Salinger's love life. He was romantically involved with actress Ellen Joyce for some time after which he married Colleen O'Neill, a young nurse who remained his wife until his death on January 27, 2010.

Salinger was showered with praise when his novel, The Catcher in the Rye was published in 1951. Despite also receiving some very harsh criticism on grounds of promoting immoral views, the book, ironically became the most taught book of the 20th century with its inclusion in the curriculum of high school literature. A best seller for life, the book has sold over 120 million copies all over the world. According to John Lennon's assassin, Mark David Chapman, the reason for his crime was in the pages of The Catcher in the Rye which was found in Chapman's possession at the time of his arrest.

Although Salinger continued to write till the end of his days, The Catcher in the Rye remains his only published novel. He led a private life of immense secrecy and speculation. Some sources believe there may be at least 10 completed novels hidden in Salinger's house.

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J.D. Salinger Biography - Famous not only for his writing but also for his private nature, J.D. Salinger is the author of the famous 1951 novel, The Catcher in the Rye. The

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Source 2 Book Review: J.D. Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye' 

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Source 2 Book Review: J.D. Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye' 

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Salinger uses characters in his writing to portray the American Dream. “In the end, Holden doesn’t give up on the world, and maybe that is Salinger’s true message.” Salinger uses his character Holden in the book to create the mindset of never giving up. Holden has a hard time figuring out what he is going to do while wondering the streets of New York City. In the end, he finally finds happiness when he watches his sister on a carousel. With the author using the character to hold the impression that he supports the American Dream, he makes the readers think and ask questions.

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Next week is Banned Books Week, that time when we celebrate the controversial side of the literary world. Scott Southard brings us a review on one of the most famous banned books, "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger.

There are few books in American literature as controversial as "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger. It has been linked to the assassination attempt on President Reagan and the killing of John Lennon, supposedly inspiring those troubled readers in their unspeakable tasks. The novel has become more than a novel, it's become its own literary device. Whenever you see a character in another story or even a movie reading it, you can't help but think that something bad is going to happen. Recently, I read the Judy Blume novel "In the Unlikely Event." In that work, a character is given a copy of the book and along with it, a sense of eerie foreboding.

Time Magazine listed Salinger's most famous work as the number four most banned book in the United States. People who are critical of the book being taught in school point to the work's language and questionable morals. This year for Banned Books Week, the trick for me was forgetting that controversial history and just focusing on the story itself. At its heart, "Catcher in the Rye" is a tragic and personal story about a young man just trying to figure out the world around him and his place in it. It's feelings about humanity, its desire for meaning and purpose are all things we readers can relate to.

Holden Caulfield is a lonely teenager who has just been expelled from an elite, East Coast prep school. The book's timeline spans only three days. Holden spends that time wandering around New York City, just begging for someone to really listen to him. And since no one does, he sees everyone as phonies, people that are really not quite human. And that's it. There not much plot beyond that. Everyone disappoints Holden, from favorite teachers that never seem to say the right thing, the mentor who makes an advance on him, and friends who just don't get him. He never finds the love he is hoping for or finds any reason to believe in humanity.

What makes this book dangerous is not its history or hidden intentions. It's the fact that it taps into the part of our psyche that we all share from time to time. Those moments when we look around the world and think everything is ridiculous, phony and worth hating. Whether it comes from typical teenage angst or simply watching reality television, we all sometimes wonder...does anything really matter? The Catcher in the Rye struggles with the dark thought that maybe everything is fake and meaningless. Most authors would consider such a psychological premise like that for a short story, but Salinger stretches it out over 200 pages, diving deeper and deeper into Holden's spiritual downward spiral.

The difference between Holden and the people that find inspiration in its nihilistic philosophy is that Holden does find some kind of meaning in the world. Those three days are his exorcism, pushing his pessimistic view of humanity out. In the end, Holden breaks through his angst, finding inspiration in the innocence of his beloved sister stuck on a carousal during a rainstorm. It's sad that this moment of redemption gets far less attention than the morose tone of the rest of the book. In the end, Holden doesn't give up on the world, and maybe that is Salinger's true message. And that's not so controversial, is it?
Scott Southard is the author of the new novel "Permanent Spring Showers" and "A Jane Austen Daydream". You can follow his writing via his blog "The Musings and Artful Blunders of Scott D. Southard" at sdsouthard.com.

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Book Review: J.D. Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye'

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Next week is Banned Books Week, that time when we celebrate the controversial side of the literary world. Scott Southard brings us a review on one of the most famous banned books, "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger. There are few books in American literature as controversial as "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D.

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This source supports the thesis because J.D. Salinger endured challenging times as he went through divorces, joined the army, and suffered from depression. His experiences in the war leave a deep impression on him and prove to be the transformative trauma of his life and career. Salinger gets drafted in 1942 where he is assigned to the 4th division in the army. He would carry his typewriter with him in his jeep as he was always writing things down. Salinger marries a German woman named Sylvia Welter. They live together only eight months, and the marriage officially ends when Salinger files for an annulment. In 1951, Salinger’s famous “Catcher in the Rye” gets published attracting all kinds of attention.

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Timeline of major events in the life of writer J.D. Salinger (Jan 1, 1919 - Jan 27, 2010), including his education, relationships and literary achievements.

1934
Salinger fails out of McBurney and is sent off to Valley Forge Military Academy
After failing out of McBurney, Salinger's parents send him to Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania. He later uses the school as something of a model for Pencey Prep, Holden Caulfield's alma mater in The Catcher in the Rye.

1942
Salinger off to War
After initially being rejected, Salinger is drafted into the U.S. Army, where he has a distinguished military career as a Counter-Intelligence Agent assigned to the 4th Division. Among other accomplishments, he takes part in the Battle of the Bulge and, later, enters Kaufering, a sub-camp of Dachau. He also forges a strong friendship with war correspondent Ernest Hemingway. Salinger continues his writing career during the war, carting his typewriter around in his Jeep. His experiences in the war leave a deep impression on him and prove to be the transformative trauma of his life and career. His writing is changed forever. After the war, Salinger checks himself into a mental hospital and is treated for "combat fatigue" which was post-traumatic stress syndrome.

1953
Salinger's short story collectionNine Stories is published
Nine Stories, a book of short stories about the Glass family, is published. In the same year, Salinger moves from New York City to Cornish, New Hampshire, the small town where he lives until his death in 2010.

September 1961
Franny and Zooey
Franny and Zooey is published and immediately becomes a #1 New York Times bestseller. The book consists of two long stories, one about Franny Glass (based on Salinger's wife, Claire) and the other about her brother Zooey.

November, 1974
The world's most famous recluse callsThe New York Times
J.D. Salinger calls Lacey Fosburgh at The New York Times to protest the unauthorized publication of a collection of his early stories. During the call Salinger admits that he is writing every day but only for himself. He says there is a "marvelous peace" in not publishing. A story about Salinger breaking his silence is published on the front page of The New York Times the next day.

June 2009
Salinger stops an unauthorized sequel toThe Catcher in the Rye
Salinger sues to block the publication of 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye, an unauthorized sequel to The Catcher in the Rye. The book is written by an author reportedly named John David California, who was apparently less familiar with Salinger's litigious nature than with the book.
January 27, 2010
Death of J.D. Salinger
At the age of 91, J.D. Salinger passes away in New Hampshire. The world mourns the loss of one of its most talented, and reclusive, voices. The Salinger family released a final statement from Salinger that read: I am in this world but not of it. This was the explicit fulfillment of central idea of the fourth and final stage of his Vedantic beliefs: renunciation of the world.

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JD Salinger ~ Timeline of Major Events | American Masters | PBS

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Timeline of major events in the life of writer J.D. Salinger (Jan 1, 1919 - Jan 27, 2010), including his education, relationships and literary

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“J.D. Salinger.” J.D. Salinger | Biography, Books and Facts, https://www.famousauthors.org/j-d-salinger.

“JD Salinger ~ Timeline of Major Events.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 19 Aug. 2015, https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/jd-salinger-salinger-timeline/2838/.

WKAR Public Media | By Scott D. Southard. “Book Review: J.D. Salinger's 'the Catcher in the Rye'.” WKAR Public Media, 24 Sept. 2015, https://www.wkar.org/arts-culture/2015-09-24/book-review-j-d-salingers-the-catcher-in-the-rye.