Two of our finest and most influential American authors died this week.
J.D. Salinger died Wednesday, at age 91, after a life spent in hiding after his rise to literary celebrity. His works will be remembered, especially The Catcher in the Rye, which spoke to generations of young people. This blogger certainly found her stint in boarding school immeasurably enriched by Holden Caulfield fantasies.
Leftist historian and activist Howard Zinn died Wednesday, at age 87. A People’s History of the United States, published first in 1980, became an invaluable re-interpretation of the history which had been taught to millions of Americans in school.
While both authors could be polarizing (Salinger’s work remains some of the most challenged material in libraries ever), their unique contributions to American letters can still inform or incense new readers. Stop by Coe Library to check out the classics or even the lesser works in memory of these men.
