Salinger Assassins

I just finished reading this new biography, Salinger, by Shields and Salerno. The book took ten years to write, has 699 pages with no index, a movie tie-in, and costs $37.50.

The book is so bad that I can hardly believe what I am seeing. It’s that bad. It’s almost as if some demon inhabited the authors and made them write the most violating and untruthful book that could be conceived.

I myself can not find words to describe it but here are a few from Amazon.com reviewers:

creepy, shallow, banal, mean-spirited, disappointing, parasitic, repetitious mess, ludicrous, peevish, vampiritic, phony, sloppy, shameful, wrought by carnival barkers, utterly awful, horrific, innuendo, ‘distortions, untruths and speculations.’

Just take Chapter 18, “Assassins.” The authors try to make the case that The Catcher in the Rye had agency in the assassination of John Lennon, and the near assassination of Ronald Reagan and George Wallace. There is a picture on p.478 of Lennon’s assassin with the caption: “Courtroom Sketch of Mark David Chapman, who stated that his defense can be found in The Catcher in the Rye.” Then there is a photo on p.481 of John Hinckley with the caption: “John Hinckley, who under the influence of The Catcher in the Rye, attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan.” There is a photo on p.484 with this caption: “Robert Bardo, who, under the influence of The Catcher in the Rye, killed the actress Rebecca Shaeffer.”

And did you know this about the would-be assassin of George Wallace?!!! “A copy of The Catcher in the Rye was found in Bremer’s Milwaukee apartment after the shooting.” P.486.

I wonder if they found a Bible.

I think now of Salinger’s For Esmé – With Love and Squalor. Priceless, eternal Esmé. I’ll not forget you, or Salinger.