J.D. Salinger: A Life

Slawenski's biography of J.D. Salinger begins with his death, jumps to his ancestry, then moves chronologically from Salinger's time in boarding school and mentorship with Columbia professor Whit Burnett to his early romance with the beautifully dull Oona O'Neill and his eventual isolation in Cornish, N.H. As Sonny Salinger becomes Jerry and eventually J.D., Slawenski sheds light on people and places that might have served as fodder for Salinger's writing, and unearths how formative Salinger's experiences fighting in WWII were to his psyche and craft. The biography is meticulously comprehensive yet compelling throughout, and Norman Dietz's reading voice proves perfect. He tone is warm and soothing, as if he is a grandfather sharing stories about his late best friend whom he adored and hopes the world will, too. A Random hardcover. (Apr.)